I've already lost all faith in Google.
I recommend Spider Oak as a replacement for Google Drive.
Also, don't forget Bittorrent Sync.
I recommend Spider Oak as a replacement for Google Drive.
Also, don't forget Bittorrent Sync.
from: ... <support@spideroak.com>*
date: **** 2013
subject: Re: [SOS #xxxx] A question about zero knowledge
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Zero-knowledge
applies only when using the SpiderOak client. When logging into the
website with your password, you are giving the primary encryption key to
our servers. We work hard to ensure that this key is kept safe (for
instance, by only keeping it in memory and never writing it to disk),
but to maintain absolute privacy, you should use only the client.Spider Oak: I wish there were some open source cloud client similar to True Crypt. Something that were really easy to use, working on every system and open source. Spider Oak's client seems to be still mainly a closed source product.
Of course it would still need a security review.
It is libre software and cross-platform. A number of front-ends address the issue of ease-of-use.
[0]: http://duplicity.nongnu.org/ [1]: http://duplicity.nongnu.org/features.html
cperciva posted why Tarsnap was more secure and cheaper than Duplicity a while back:
The whole thing currently sits on top of BitTorrent although I suspect I'll end up writing a forked implementation at some point to support some extensions I'm working on.
Active, dynamic syncing is great for some kind of data but not so important for others, and I feel like that's the hurdle that needs to be overcome. More interesting to me is painless, fast, robust, and configurable sharing of relatively static data. (Some versioning may be included but it won't be a first-class system.)
Just like 1984.
How hard can it be to manufacture a product with an off-switch?
If a users asks for something to happen (like a Skype call) it should just happen. To end-users, having multiple points at which the functionality they want can be switched off is just frustrating, and it costs manufacturers call center time and customer satisfaction.
The paranoid can tape over cameras and cut mic cables if they feel it's really necessary.
You really might want to consider whether "slavery" is the appropriate word for switches implemented in software.
It's been a long time since we had the big red IBM XT flip switch.
Even my calculator doesn't have a physical off switch.
Which is part of why the NSA guide to securing a machine recommends that you decide whether or not you actually need the camera and microphone, and if not, you open the case and physically cut the cables.
In addition to being a signals intelligence agency, NSA is also responsible for IT security for the federal government (and, to some extent, the nation). While it's possible they leave some of the more interesting tricks out of the public versions of these guides, their publication is in line with NSA's advice and assistance on open-source cryptography, etc.
1) The location of their servers in Norway; I'm based within the EU, but quite far from Norway, and Norway doesn't scream great connectivity to me in the same way Britain, France, or Germany does;
2) Their FAQ seems a bit slapdash, e.g. "What kind of servers are my data stored on? Linux";
3) As with most other storage providers, there is no mechanism preventing the provider from accessing your files, or sharing them with third parties, no matter how much you trust them.