wilmaethqn44
Member
OP
- Joined:
- Jun 2024
- Posts:
- 135
- From:
- Cardiff, UK
What happens when a lifetime deal host dies and your data ends up for sale?
I bought "lifetime" VPS from RackNerd in 2022. They went dark in january. Now I find my email, hashed password, and server hostname on a breach forum. I never got breach notification. I check they TOS and it says "lifetime refers to lifetime of service, not customer" and also "data assets may be transferred to successors or purchasers in bankruptcy."
Is this even legal? Can they sell my data because I clicked "agree" in 2022? I am not technical, I just wanted cheap hosting for my shop
frames, tables, still valid HTML
armstrongvds
Member
ARM Enjoyer
- Joined:
- Jun 2024
- Posts:
- 199
- From:
- Seoul, KR
That's insane value for lawyers, not for you!
I checked RackNerd's TOS archive on web.archive.org and the data clause was added in 2024! After you signed! Backdated TOS updates without email notification—runs circles around any legitimate business practice.
Specs on my Ampere box: 4 cores, 8GB RAM, and zero data sales clauses. That's the real insane value.
one small ping for man...
haroldgsm
Member
Grumpy Old Sysadmin
- Joined:
- May 2024
- Posts:
- 329
- From:
- Ohio, US
20 years in this business, kids these days think "lifetime" means something. Back when, lifetime deals were exit scams wearing marketing clothes. Mark my words, RackNerd's database sale was planned before the "bankruptcy."
The TOS broad data rights are standard now. You agreed to asset transfer. Courts have upheld this in three jurisdictions I know of. Your recourse is limited to complaining on forums, which the next host's TOS will also prohibit.
IPv4, IRC, and irssi — fight me
Richard7
Member
Pentium III Enjoyer
- Joined:
- May 2024
- Posts:
- 129
- From:
- Norfolk, UK
Back in 2009 I had a "lifetime" shared host called PineBox or something similar. They don't make them like that anymore, and thank goodness. At least when they died, they just disappeared. No data brokers, no breach sales, just a quiet 404 and a backup I should have made.
The storytelling in old host death spirals was better too. You'd get a forum post from the owner about medical bills, then nothing. Now it's asset liquidation and your hostname on Pastebin.
SPARCstation 20, still serving HTTP
