That license, though, is limited, according to Google. Any rights to use your stuff that you grant Google will only be used for "operating, promoting, and improving our Services, and to develop new ones," the agreement explains.

Google also claims the right to keep using your stuff even after you stop using its services (an example would be for a business listing you added to Google Maps).

Dropbox, too, emphasizes that you own your content. "You retain full ownership to your stuff," its terms-of-service agreement declares. "We don't claim any ownership to any of it."

The agreement also provides that its terms "do not grant us any rights to your stuff or intellectual property except for the limited rights that are needed to run the Services...." While that may sound less intrusive than Google's agreement, it still means Dropbox is claiming some rights.