Most websites function as content distributors, so for them to be able to serve your content to anyone who asks for it, you need to give them the legal right to do so.
The difference from the storage locker or safe deposit box example above is that for those services, you hold the key. You are not putting your stuff in those places so that any passerby can rummage through it.
Websites/services that provide more limited distribution services, e.g. dropbox, or anything where you need to grant permission to individuals, are a bit closer but still not really the same as the safe deposit box example. You should be sure that the rights you are granting by agreeing to the terms of service are more limited.
For cloud storage where you really want to limit access to the content to yourself only, you need to be sure that not even the provider can access it. I.e. encrypt it before it leaves your machine.
Good point. There are services that specifically provide for encryption and import, requiring a private key that only the user of the info has. Of course, the encryption can be cracked with time.
However, my main concern is not so with no one reading the data, but with data being taken and not returned.
The difference from the storage locker or safe deposit box example above is that for those services, you hold the key. You are not putting your stuff in those places so that any passerby can rummage through it.
Websites/services that provide more limited distribution services, e.g. dropbox, or anything where you need to grant permission to individuals, are a bit closer but still not really the same as the safe deposit box example. You should be sure that the rights you are granting by agreeing to the terms of service are more limited.
For cloud storage where you really want to limit access to the content to yourself only, you need to be sure that not even the provider can access it. I.e. encrypt it before it leaves your machine.