AV短视频

Data stored on servers located in the United States

Are your research data archived by U.S. Institutions or stored on servers in the United States?

If so, it鈥檚 worth taking a moment to assess whether any measures are needed to ensure their long-term security.

As an example, here are some details regarding the OSF () platform, which is widely used by researchers, particularly in the humanities and social sciences. OSF is managed by the听 (COS), a nonprofit scientific organization founded in Virginia in 2013, and is hosted on Google Cloud. Among COS's , 3 are U.S. government agencies 鈥� which could reduce their support if their own funding is cut 鈥攁nd at least 2 are organizations with ties to Republican-affiliated donors.

Article 10 of OSF鈥檚 Terms of Use states that COS may suspend its service at any time and without prior notice (highlighting added):

The COS makes commercially reasonable efforts to maintain and provide access to its Websites and Services and will endeavor to provide you with advance warning of restrictions to access due to routine website maintenance. The COS, at its sole discretion, however, reserves the right at any time and from time to time to modify, suspend, discontinue, or terminate the Websites or Services or portions thereof with or without notice. You agree that we will not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension, discontinuation, or termination of the Websites or Services. While the COS will endeavor to continue to host all Projects, as a non-profit entity, it cannot guarantee that it will have the resources to do so over time, and it reserves the right to designate a substitute host of its choosing for Project content if the COS does not have the financial means to do so itself in the future.

However, COS has taken steps to mitigate potential financial risks by establishing a听 of $400,000, intended to cover hosting costs for several years.

Recommandations

Regardless of which archiving solution you use, consider these key questions to ensure the long-term preservation of your research data:

• Are they stored in the right location or system?
• Is a backup available elsewhere?

In line with best practices for long-term digital archiving, COS advises its users (as stated in Article 10 of the Terms of Use) to store a backup of their research data in an alternative system:

[...] You are advised not to use the Websites or Services as the exclusive storage repository for your data and content. The COS recommends that you separately store all data and content submitted to the Websites and Services on other secure servers or with reputable third-party hosting services.

In this context, the institutional data repository is a good option for members of the AV短视频 (UNIGE) community. Additionally, OSF provides an alternative storage option, allowing users to choose 鈥淒ata Storage in Germany鈥� instead of the United States, which can be configured through the user's personal account settings.

Conclusion

[Ed. 31.03.2025]

The focus on OSF in this article is purely for illustrative purposes, mainly to highlight its transparency and commitment to best practices in addressing today鈥檚 data security challenges. Aware of users' concerns, COS even published a while this article was being written.

Ultimately, it鈥檚 essential to apply critical thinking when choosing any platform, especially those hosted outside of Switzerland.