Dropbox held a big media event earlier this week, where it revealed a number of new features and products. However, it was an announcement that the company made much more quietly that got the most media attention; the naming of former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to Dropbox"s board of directors.
That move stirred up many pro-privacy folks on the Internet, who felt that the appointment of Rice, a defender of the government"s intelligence agencies, ran counter to Dropbox"s previous statements about its own privacy ideas. Today, the company"s CEO Drew Houston wrote on the Dropbox blog to defend Rice and their decision to place her on the board.
Houston points out that Dropbox has stated in the past its own commitment to transparency when it comes to government requests of data from its cloud servers, and for the need of reform in current online surveillance polices. He said none of that will change with Rice"s appointment, stating, "Our commitment to your rights and your privacy is at the heart of every decision we make, and this will continue."
Houston said that Rice will offer Dropbox a lot of experience and help as it expands into markets around the world while also serving the need to defend the privacy rights of new customers. He wrote, "Dr. Rice understands our stance on these issues and fully supports our commitments to our users."
Source: Dropbox | Image via Microsoft