Source: AD
Author: Maartje Huijben
WeTransfer made a notable change to its terms and conditions this week. The popular service for sending large files may now use your files for its own gain. What alternatives can you switch to?
The originally Dutch company, now Italian-owned, published the new terms and conditions on Tuesday. Initially, they explicitly stated that WeTransfer may use any files sent by users to train AI models and sell them to other commercial parties.
Later, the company already backtracked and readjusted the terms. The company now says, "You hereby grant us a royalty-free license to use your content to operate, develop and improve our services. In other words, WeTransfer may still improve their services by using your documents. What those services are is not specified and includes everything WeTransfer offers, now and in the future, that is. On Aug. 8, the new terms go into effect.
The online platform's change in direction is part of a broader trend. More and more tech companies are interested in user data for developing artificial intelligence. For example, Facebook and Instagram can use your public posts to train their AI program, and Microsoft also made negative headlines after it was revealed that it used more than 200,000 books to feed its AI.
What are the alternatives to WeTransfer?
What are the alternatives to WeTransfer? Those who do not want to risk having their files used for artificial intelligence can switch to other services. Among other things, pay attention to how the service handles privacy, personal data and copyright. In addition, it is good to know whether a service is free and, if you pay, under what conditions the subscriptions may change.
We list five alternatives:
- SwissTransfer
SwissTransfer is a Swiss alternative that allows you to send large files up to 50 gigabytes for free without having to register. The downside is that it does not allow you to manage your sent files. The transfers remain online for thirty days, but you can also choose a shorter duration. - Proton Drive
Proton Drive is also a Swiss company and offers cloud storage in addition to encrypted e-mail, among other things. You choose who you share those files with. With a free account, you can store up to 5 gigabytes of files. - Wormhole
Files you send with Wormhole are encrypted from start to finish, so even Wormhole itself cannot see in. It allows you to send up to 5 GB of files for free. Sending larger files up to 10 GB is also possible, but you must leave the page open until the recipient has downloaded them. After 24 hours, they disappear from the servers. - Mail drop
Those using Apple products can also send large files up to 5 GB for free via Mail Drop. This is done through the standard mail app. When your files are too large, you will automatically be notified. Mail Drop will then arrange for the mail attachment to be placed in iCloud. Within thirty days, the recipient must download the file. - FileCap
Looking for a Dutch alternative, consider FileCap. This service is aimed primarily at companies that want to send large files securely. A subscription costs 10.70 euros per month, excluding VAT. - Secudoc
Secudoc is a similar Dutch alternative and also focuses on secure e-mailing and file sharing. For 14 euros per month excluding VAT, you can send and receive large files (up to 10 GB).
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