I am always under a huge paranoia, when it comes to hosting my website. I'm sure there are hosts whom are more reliable than others, however, I feel they could all royally screw with you in any way they please.

My #1 fear when it come to having my website hosted is; the fact that they have access to all of your files. I mean, what if you create the next google, youtube, facebook, or even myspace. What stops them from claiming it as their own. Especially if they recognize the success in it before you do. I'm sure its not worth buying copyright for every little project you start, however, really, whats stopping them? Are there any laws in place?

Thanks for any future replies
Andrei Popa

When you purchase a space, that space belongs to you. Theres nothing stoping them from stealing your data, but you would have the rar files of any project your making. So, if they do steal your stuff, they have the files u want people to see, you have the rar files, that still are being edited, and made even better. So you can put up a fight when you take them to court.

Can you do anything without the purchase of copyright? I mean, can't they simply copyright everything you've made, before you.

If you are working on something big and afraid that your stuff may become subject of interest, then the best you can do is to setup your own server and host your site yourself.

Honest hosts with high morals and un-compromised integrity will never touch your files simply because their internal policies and security precautions will insure that there is limited access to restricted area and only for trusted personal with “A” grade security clearance with log to confirm who, when and why.

Of course if your site has been hosted from parents basement then you have every reason to be very careful. Praying or being lucky may help too.


fastreplies

Yes, good hosts out there will not mess with your stuff. I have a strict policy when it comes to that. I encourage all my clients to check their logs on a daily basis, and if they find an IP that they dont recognize, to alert my ASAP. I take these matters very seriously, and my staff know of this as well.

You are too worried about nothing.

If you need shared hosting then your stuff is probably in the developing stages so it won't be interesting for anybody.
If it gets big you will certainly go with a dedicated server and then you are on your own (mainly).

The hosting industry is based on trust. You trust Posta Romana not to got thru your letters don't you?

What's more think every host will be proud to host your "google, youtube, facebook, or even myspace". So, go ahead!

You trust Posta Romana not to got thru your letters don't you?

Not really, no. But I don't care. I'm not a conspirator.

Can you do anything without the purchase of copyright? I mean, can't they simply copyright everything you've made, before you.

Copyright comes into existence once a work of mind is created, not registered. The whole trick would be to prove that you created it prior to them registering it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright

Ok, thank you! Answered quite a few of my questions!

Personally I have heard very few cases of hosts stealing site content. Very rarely, that too ameatuer hosts. Go with a reputed host and forget the rest. They have few thousand sites hosted and wont even bother to look what you are doing there. Even otherwise they cant afford to get your reputation affected by any such incident.

I think that this a human factor and one employee can broke the reputation of all web hosting company.

There are some semi-preventative measures that you can take for your site to cut down on the risk that your host will hijack the site and use it for their own:

1) Make sure you control the domain name and not your host. If the host decides to take the files and create a clone, you'll still have full control over the original. This is the big one, since your domain will have established some reputation (otherwise the host would have no interest in stealing the site).

2) Don't upload any vector art to your server. That way, it becomes more difficult for your host to modify your layout.

3) Don't upload any code documentation or documented code to your server. You can have documented code on your test side, but on your live side strip it down so that it will require the host to put in some thought to deconstruct it.

The possiblity still exists that your host could steal your data, but most hosts are pretty good that way (generally the ones that don't allow spamming are pretty straight up, as a quick rule of thumb) and I don't think it's that big an issue.

Originally Posted by andrei155

Can you do anything without the purchase of copyright? I mean, can't they simply copyright everything you've made, before you.

How do you purchase copyright for something you made?

The others have given very good advice. Simply go with a reputed host - for absolute avoidance with this, the larger the better probably. Larger hosts are far far less likely to look at individual files in users accounts unless they suspect there is a problem occurring and the file is the cause. Support staff for large hosts have far more pressing issues and don't have the time to browse through files etc.

Of course this is a generalisation. There are plenty of smaller hosts that are committed to protecting their users from content stealing etc. and there are possibly some larger hosts that might have less strict policies meaning staff might browse through files that don't concern them.

With a dedicated server it may also be more of a barrier to access your files as the host will need your password (which you of course change after having the server deployed). They could of course access your harddisc by taking it out physically and connect it to another computer, but it's not very likely they would ever to such a thing unless there is a real suspicion of the legality of your stuff.

Originally Posted by andrei155

Can you do anything without the purchase of copyright? I mean, can't they simply copyright everything you've made, before you.

There was at one time the legal doctrine of "perfecting" a copyright by making a filing. Under current copyright law just about anywhere there is rule of law the act of creating the IP (Intellectual Property not Internet Protocol in this case) creates the copyright. You don't have to do anything more to "get" a copyright. The content of your site including any database is your IP, you hold the copyright.

Thank you for all the suggestions!

The content of your site including any database is your IP, you hold the copyright.

Does this mean, that as soon as you make it, its yours. As in you don't have to go through all the paperwork and all that jazz?

Originally Posted by andrei155

Thank you for all the suggestions!


Does this mean, that as soon as you make it, its yours. As in you don't have to go through all the paperwork and all that jazz?

Do you really think you got some amazing, unique and which will be the best invention since the wheel (of fortune ofcourse)

Yes. Your confusion is actually understandable. As recently as 1989 there were formal requirements in perfecting a copyright. In that year the USA joined most other nations by adopting Berne Convention Implementation Act.

Originally Posted by cabron

Do you really think you got some amazing, unique and which will be the best invention since the wheel (of fortune ofcourse)

Just lookin' out

GBG, thank you for the help!