Whistleblower & critic

Edward Snowden

Former NSA contractor

Edward Snowden's 2013 disclosures revealed the PRISM surveillance program — whose leaked slides listed Dropbox as 'coming soon' — and he publicly called Dropbox 'hostile to privacy,' urging users toward zero-knowledge alternatives. His criticism, alongside the Condoleezza Rice appointment, shaped years of scrutiny of Dropbox's encryption model.

Source: The Guardian — Snowden on Dropbox and privacy

Linked issues

April–July 20143 sources

Medium

'Hostile to privacy': Snowden, Condoleezza Rice, and the Drop Dropbox campaign

Dropbox's April 2014 appointment of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice — a defender of warrantless wiretapping — to its board triggered the grassroots 'Drop Dropbox' campaign, and months later Edward Snowden publicly branded the service 'hostile to privacy.'

Privacy & Encryption ConcernsProduct Changes & User Backlash

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June 20132 sources

Medium

Named in the NSA's PRISM slides as 'coming soon'

Among the classified NSA PRISM documents leaked by Edward Snowden, Dropbox appeared as a provider the surveillance program planned to add, listed as 'coming soon' — placing the company squarely inside the post-Snowden surveillance debate.

Privacy & Encryption Concerns

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