PBS station fears losing 50TB of data after being ghosted by cloud storage provider
PBS station fears losing 50TB of data after being ghosted by cloud storage provider
PBS电视台因云存储服务商“失联”，恐丢失50TB珍贵数据
After its cloud storage provider went defunct, a PBS affiliate decided to sue a data center provider to regain access to 50TB of TV shows, videos, and other data dating back 70 years. As reported this week by Current, a trade newspaper covering public broadcasting, St. Louis affiliate Nine PBS filed a lawsuit against Iron Mountain Data Centers on July 28, seeking access to the data.
在云存储服务商倒闭后，一家PBS（美国公共电视网）附属电视台决定起诉一家数据中心提供商，以重新获取其存储的50TB数据。这些数据包括长达70年的电视节目、视频及其他资料。据专门报道公共广播行业的贸易报纸《Current》本周报道，圣路易斯地区的Nine PBS电视台已于7月28日对Iron Mountain数据中心提起诉讼，要求取回这些数据。
In the litigation filed in Denver District Court, Nine PBS says that its cloud storage provider, Open Source Storage (OSS), used one of Iron Mountain’s Denver data centers to store the channel’s data. However, OSS is being unresponsive, and Nine PBS says Iron Mountain has refused to release its data. The data in question includes the station’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, East St. Louis’ history, The Great Flood of 1993, and over 11,000 files, The Denver Post reported in July. The lawsuit claims that “most” of the data is “unique and irreplaceable,” according to the Post.
在提交至丹佛地方法院的诉讼中，Nine PBS表示，其云存储服务商Open Source Storage (OSS) 使用了Iron Mountain位于丹佛的一处数据中心来存储该台的数据。然而，OSS目前处于失联状态，而Nine PBS称Iron Mountain拒绝交出这些数据。据《丹佛邮报》7月报道，涉及的数据包括该台对新冠疫情的报道、东圣路易斯市的历史记录、1993年大洪水影像以及超过11,000个文件。据该报称，诉讼中提到“大部分”数据是“独一无二且不可替代的”。
Last month, a judge blocked Iron Mountain from deleting or modifying the data. In a hearing on Wednesday, a judge ruled that Iron Mountain must hand over any physical devices holding the data, Current reported today. The judge also said that Nine PBS must find a third party, such as a former OSS worker, who can help retrieve the data within 30 days and without sharing or corrupting data belonging to other OSS clients. Nine PBS is already communicating with a former OSS employee “who is willing to help,” the report said. If complications arise, such as from the data being encrypted, another hearing will be scheduled. Nine PBS and Iron Mountain must provide updates by September 14.
上个月，法官已禁止Iron Mountain删除或修改这些数据。《Current》今日报道称，在周三的听证会上，法官裁定Iron Mountain必须交出存储数据的任何物理设备。法官还要求Nine PBS必须在30天内找到第三方（例如OSS的前员工）来协助提取数据，且过程中不得泄露或损坏属于OSS其他客户的数据。报道称，Nine PBS目前正在与一位“愿意提供帮助”的OSS前员工进行沟通。如果出现数据加密等复杂情况，法院将安排另一次听证会。Nine PBS和Iron Mountain必须在9月14日前提交进展报告。
When reached for comment, an Iron Mountain spokesperson told Ars Technica via email: Iron Mountain has acted appropriately and responsibly at every step to safeguard customer data and honor our contractual commitments to OSS. Throughout this process, we have been transparent with Nine PBS about our role in this dispute, that we do not have access to their data, and we have made consistent efforts to help them resolve the issue.
在收到置评请求时，Iron Mountain发言人通过电子邮件告诉Ars Technica：“Iron Mountain在每一步行动中都表现得恰当且负责，旨在保护客户数据并履行我们对OSS的合同承诺。在整个过程中，我们对Nine PBS在这一纠纷中的角色保持透明，明确告知我们无法访问其数据，并一直努力帮助他们解决问题。”
OSS defunct
OSS倒闭
According to the complaint, Nine PBS initially hired a company, eventually known as OSS, for “hardware, software, and cloud storage services” for its data, including archival materials. Nine PBS’ most recent contract with OSS ended on March 6. Nine PBS says it couldn’t get a response from OSS about renewing the contract in February. The station claims its contract gave it 30 days to retrieve data at the end of the contract. However, Nine PBS says it abruptly lost access to the data when the contract expired. The channel says it then learned that OSS had delinquency status with the Colorado Secretary of State and had ceased operations.
根据诉状，Nine PBS最初聘请了一家后来被称为OSS的公司，为其包括档案资料在内的数据提供“硬件、软件和云存储服务”。Nine PBS与OSS最近的一份合同于3月6日到期。Nine PBS表示，在2月份曾尝试联系OSS续约，但未得到回应。该台声称，合同规定其在合同结束后有30天的时间来提取数据。然而，Nine PBS表示，合同到期时，他们突然失去了对数据的访问权限。该台随后得知，OSS在科罗拉多州州务卿处处于违约状态，且已停止运营。
As of this writing, the Colorado Secretary of State’s business database says that OSS formed in 2021 and is delinquent. James Tramel, who the complaint describes as a “managing partner of the group that officially acquired” OSS’s assets, reportedly told Nine PBS that Iron Mountain held its data. Eventually, Tramel reportedly stopped responding to Nine PBS after telling the station via phone that he “had been defrauded” into buying OSS and was no longer affiliated with the company.
截至本文撰写时，科罗拉多州州务卿的商业数据库显示，OSS成立于2021年，目前处于违约状态。据诉状描述，正式收购OSS资产的集团管理合伙人James Tramel曾告诉Nine PBS，数据存放在Iron Mountain。最终，Tramel在电话中告诉电视台他“被骗”收购了OSS，且已不再与该公司有任何关联，随后便不再回应Nine PBS的联系。
On March 13, Nine PBS reportedly sent a letter to Iron Mountain stating that it would “pay any reasonable costs associated with” accessing the data. After allegedly being unable to communicate with OSS, Nine PBS eventually won a default judgment against the company in the St. Louis Circuit Court, which found that Nine PBS had the “immediate right to possess the data,” according to the complaint. The court also ruled that OSS must return the data “and/or facilitate its transfer to a new vendor,” the complaint says.
据报道，3月13日，Nine PBS致信Iron Mountain，表示愿意“支付与获取数据相关的任何合理费用”。在无法与OSS取得联系后，Nine PBS最终在圣路易斯巡回法院赢得了针对该公司的缺席判决。据诉状称，法院裁定Nine PBS拥有“立即占有该数据的权利”。诉状还显示，法院裁定OSS必须归还数据“和/或协助将其转移至新供应商”。
However, Iron Mountain refused to give Nine PBS the data because it only has a contract with OSS and, according to Nine PBS’ complaint, because OSS owns “the physical services housing the data.” Iron Mountain’s spokesperson told Ars that the company only provides physical infrastructure, such as the building, network connectivity, power, and environmental controls. “Our customers rent space for their servers and other hardware. These are the client’s assets. We don’t have access to the data on the hardware/servers because they belong to our customers,” the company said.
然而，Iron Mountain拒绝向Nine PBS提供数据，理由是其仅与OSS签有合同，且根据Nine PBS的诉状，OSS拥有“存放数据的物理设备”。Iron Mountain发言人告诉Ars，该公司仅提供物理基础设施，如建筑、网络连接、电力和环境控制。“我们的客户租用空间来放置他们的服务器和其他硬件。这些是客户的资产。我们无法访问硬件/服务器上的数据，因为它们属于我们的客户，”该公司表示。
Iron Mountain said the company would violate basic data privacy protocols, breach its contract with OSS, and “potentially [expose] confidential data belonging to other clients of OSS” if it granted “unauthorized access to third-party hardware without a court order.”
Iron Mountain表示，如果他们在没有法院命令的情况下授予“对第三方硬件的未经授权访问”，将违反基本的数据隐私协议、违反与OSS的合同，并“可能[泄露]属于OSS其他客户的机密数据”。
Ars asked Nine PBS if it had any backups of the data and what the station would do to prevent this from happening again, but we didn’t receive answers as of publication time. Nine PBS VP and chief communications officer Leah Freeman shared a statement reading: We appreciate the Court’s thoughtful decision establishing a path forward to access and recover our archival materials, which the Court confirmed that Nine PBS rightfully owns. These archives represent an important part of our region’s history, and we look forward to ensuring their preservation and protection through the Court-approved process.
Ars询问Nine PBS是否有数据的备份，以及该台将采取什么措施防止此类事件再次发生，但截至发稿时未收到回复。Nine PBS副总裁兼首席通讯官Leah Freeman发表声明称：“我们感谢法院深思熟虑的裁决，为我们获取和恢复档案资料开辟了道路，法院已确认Nine PBS拥有这些资料的所有权。这些档案代表了我们地区历史的重要组成部分，我们期待通过法院批准的程序确保它们的保存和保护。”