Hosting Attachments

[mk craig 42]

Just curious as to whether attachments can be seen by your hosting company.. As I have hosted a few "adult" attachments on my forum, and my current hosting company doesn't allow adult material (didn't know that at the time)

But due to it being a free web hosting company, they review websites 24-36 hours after you sign up, it's reviewed by a human for a good 2-4 hours.. They typically search for things that are against their T&C's. However I passed the review, just wondering if they can actually view attachments uploaded by my members or not?

I have my attachments in a folder as opposed to in the database.
- Thanks,.

[Disasterpiece]

If they want to, they can.

But then they'd have to explain why they're sniffing in your private server files.

[mk craig 42]

Originally Posted by Disasterpiece

If they want to, they can.

But then they'd have to explain why they're sniffing in your private server files.

So how do people with illegal content get away with things like this.. Hosting things like warez, uploaded keygens, torrents, viruses etc.. If the hosting company has access to your uploaded content, then why do they allow it on there if it's against the law and also their T&C's ?

Do they require some sort of permission to be snooping around your files, even if they suspect the content is illegal or/and against their T&C's?

Thanks for your speedy reply by the way.

[Disasterpiece]

It remains private unless you make it somehow public and the law enforcement forces your hoster with a warrant to search your data.

If you have illegal files and just store them on your server without making them public, there's no way someone finds them and creates a warrant for them. You should read your hoster's TOS, the whole process is detailed there.

[mk craig 42]

Ah thanks for the response!

So If I were hosting illegal content, or content that my web hosting company doesn't allow. The only way they would find out is if someone reports that said content and they then look into it and find it themselves.

So if I had a load of 'adult' content on my free hosting (which my previous hosting company didn't allow) that hosting company would never know unless tipped off by someone. I always thought that the attachments were edited somehow so that only a user of a certain rank could view a certain attachment (depending upon what section it was posted in)

Like for example, if a VIP member posts in the VIP section that a Registered member does not have access too, and the VIP member then attaches an image.. The Registered member would not be able to access the attachment, even if given the direct link.. Which leads me to believe that not even the hosting company cannot view an attachment (as an image) unless they are logged in and are the correct rank to view the specific attachment.

Just to clarify.. I'm not hosting illegal content in any way shape or form, nor am I linking my members to such content. Just purely wanting to know more about the security.

[Disasterpiece]

Your definition of "illegal content" may be what's the problem here...

adult content isn't illegal by it's own definition, but (depending on your countrie's laws) offering adult content to the general public without controlling who actually can access this content (like minors) may be an illegal offense, so if you keep this material to members (read: non-public) you circumvented this rule and should be ok with it.
And this is how you should approach this.

I can only speak for my own countrie's law, which is germany. So for example, take a mp3 file.
It's not illegal to own a copied mp3 file of a commercial song. So if I put it on my server and just leave it there without anyone being able to access it publicly, I have nothing to worry about. It's my private space and as long as it stays there, I'm safe from any copyright infridgements.

If i'd offer it publicly like forum attachments viewing by guests or by registered members, whereas anyone can become a registered member without my direct help (like adding them to a special usergroup), it's considered offering of copyrighted material and I can be sued.
If I create a special usergroup for my friends and family and people I know, it's a private group of people which I allow access of my files. This is also allowed, as long as I have control over whom I grant and revoke access to these files.
If I make money with this (like VIP membership) I can be sued because I make money with copyrighted material, regardless if it's public or not. Ofc. there still must be someone who actually files the fraud. Depending on the size of my forum/community and the traffic, it may be unlikely someone finds out, but possible nontheless.

The hosting company is by definition the one which even stands over the system administrator, because they have physical access to the machine/drives where the data is stored.
Depending on which hosting organisation you choose, most of them have a paragraph about privacy in their TOS where they tell you that they respect your privacy and only access your private data if they're ordered to do so, by a law firm for example. This is mostly the case with ordinary TOS.
Also, they make their money with your files. Normally, they aren't interested in the stuff they make their cash with, unless it disrupts their service or they are forced to investigate.

Maybe this gives you a better idea of that topic. Always know your rights!

[mk craig 42]

You sir, just gave me a lot of information, thank you so much!!
I'd like that post, but I can't yet.

Many thanks Disasterpiece

[Chris8]

They should not track your data without any serious reason. Yes, of course they can access your server files. I would change a hosting company though to some that is not that strict about adult content. As long as it's legal content you should have freedom of what is uploaded to your server.

[mk craig 42]

Originally Posted by Chris8

They should not track your data without any serious reason. Yes, of course they can access your server files. I would change a hosting company though to some that is not that strict about adult content. As long as it's legal content you should have freedom of what is uploaded to your server.

Thanks for your reply. Already have though I was only testing their services on their sister site that offers free hosting, I've now transferred to their main website for paying members where they allow adult content