Dropbox Limits Unlimited Cloud Storage Due to Abuses
Dropbox, the cloud storage service, has decided to introduce limitations on its unlimited storage plan due to instances of misuse. Instead of providing users with “as much space as needed,” the company will now take action against customers who exceed 15 terabytes of cloud storage.
This policy change comes as a response to various abuses, including using the cloud storage for cryptocurrency mining, reselling storage to third parties, and utilizing the service for personal purposes unrelated to corporate clients. The service administration stated, “In recent months, we’ve seen a significant increase in this behavior. We’ve noticed that such customers often consume thousands of times more storage space than our genuine business clients.”
The investigation revealed that 1% of Dropbox customers had occupied over 35 terabytes on a single license designed for three users, priced at $24 per month per user. While Dropbox primarily relies on its own infrastructure, it also maintains a presence on Amazon Web Services. The service charges $0.023 per gigabyte per month for consumption under 50 terabytes, meaning that utilizing 35 terabytes would incur a cost of $805 per month. Nonetheless, Dropbox must maintain profitability.
Dropbox clarified that the policy shift was prompted by the intention to provide “as much space as necessary for business or organizational work, rather than unlimited space for any use case.” The company also acknowledged the challenge of defining universally acceptable and unacceptable resource usage scenarios, leading to the decision to discontinue the unlimited offering. The revised plan will now offer 15 terabytes of space for three users, with an additional 5 terabytes added for each subsequent user.
Existing customers utilizing less than 35 terabytes per license will be allowed to retain their current space allocation for the next five years, along with a bonus 5 terabytes. Users exceeding the 35-terabyte mark will be granted an additional 5 terabytes for the upcoming year without extra charges, but they will need to engage in discussions to determine storage options suitable for their businesses or organizations. The new policy will be implemented on November 1, with users being notified about the changes 30 days in advance.
For those opting to leave Dropbox’s services, challenges await. The service has restricted downloads to 20 gigabytes and up to 100,000 files per day. Users exceeding 35 terabytes will experience significantly extended upload times.
Author Profile
- I'm Martin Harris, a tech writer with extensive experience, contributing to global publications. Trained in Computer Science, I merged my technical know-how with writing, becoming a technology journalist. I've covered diverse topics like AI and consumer electronics, contributing to top tech platforms. I participate in tech events for knowledge updating. Besides writing, I enjoy reading, photography, and aim to clarify technology's complexities to readers.
Latest entries
Unusual04/11/2023Japanese Scientists Develop Durable, Self-Healing, Biodegradable Plastic
Blockchain03/11/2023Telegram’s TON Becomes World’s Fastest Blockchain, Outpaces Visa and MasterCard
Internet27/10/2023Google Search Now Provides Source Data for Images
Business26/10/2023Honor Leads Chinese Smartphone Market as vivo Falters, Apple Reclaims Top Three
