Digital Event Horizon
PBS station Nine is fighting to regain access to 50TB of data stored by its now-defunct cloud storage provider, Open Source Storage (OSS). The data includes TV shows, videos, and archival materials dating back 70 years. A judge has ordered Iron Mountain Data Centers to hand over any physical devices holding the data, while Nine PBS must find a third-party expert to retrieve it within 30 days.
Nine PBS lost access to over 50TB of data after its cloud storage provider, Open Source Storage (OSS), ceased operations. Nine PBS filed a lawsuit against Iron Mountain Data Centers, alleging they were used to store the channel's data, after OSS failed to return the data. A judge ordered Iron Mountain to hand over physical devices holding the data, while requiring Nine PBS to find a third-party expert to retrieve the data within 30 days. Nine PBS has begun communicating with a former OSS employee to help retrieve the data, and is committed to preserving and protecting its archival materials. The situation highlights the importance of reliable data storage and retrieval methods for organizations with critical archival materials.
A recent controversy has emerged in the realm of data storage and retrieval, involving a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) affiliate and a cloud storage provider. The PBS station in question, Nine PBS, has found itself in a precarious situation after its cloud storage provider, Open Source Storage (OSS), ceased operations and failed to return its data. The data in question consists of over 50TB of TV shows, videos, and other archival materials that date back to the 1950s.
The situation began when Nine PBS initially hired OSS for "hardware, software, and cloud storage services" to store its data, including archival materials. However, after the contract ended, Nine PBS claims it abruptly lost access to the data and was unable to communicate with OSS. In an effort to regain access to its data, Nine PBS filed a lawsuit against Iron Mountain Data Centers, a data center provider that was allegedly used by OSS to store the channel's data.
Iron Mountain Data Centers has maintained that it has acted appropriately and responsibly throughout the process, while also adhering to basic data privacy protocols. However, the company has refused to hand over the data to Nine PBS, citing its contractual obligations with OSS and the ownership of the physical infrastructure containing the data.
In a recent ruling, a judge has ordered Iron Mountain to hand over any physical devices holding the data, while also requiring Nine PBS to find a third-party expert, such as a former OSS worker, to help retrieve the data within 30 days. The expert is tasked with retrieving the data without sharing or corrupting data belonging to other OSS clients.
Nine PBS has already begun communicating with a former OSS employee who is willing to help retrieve the data, and the station has expressed its commitment to preserving and protecting its archival materials. The situation highlights the importance of reliable data storage and retrieval methods, particularly for organizations with critical archival materials.
The controversy also raises questions about the responsibility of cloud storage providers and data center providers in cases where data is lost or becomes inaccessible. It remains to be seen how this situation will unfold, but one thing is certain: Nine PBS is determined to regain access to its valuable archival materials.
Related Information:
https://www.digitaleventhorizon.com/articles/PBS-Station-Fears-Losing-50TB-of-Data-After-Being-Ghosted-by-Cloud-Storage-Provider-deh.shtml
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2026/08/pbs-station-fears-losing-50tb-of-data-after-being-ghosted-by-cloud-storage-provider/
https://ushopwell.com/ublog/pbs-station-fears-losing-50tb-of-data-after-being-ghosted-by-cloud-storage-provider/
Published: Sat Aug 15 23:50:35 2026 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
