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OT: Dropbox and Skydrive encryption
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Posted by MadaboutDana
Sep 15, 2014 at 10:26 PM
Also worth mentioning is the very good and increasingly speedy BitTorrent Sync. This isn’t very well known, but effectively gives you your own private Dropbox-like service between multiple machines. It’s cross-platform, and also has mobile clients. It uses direct peer-to-peer transmission methods, and includes built-in encryption. And it’s completely free.
Despite the name ‘BitTorrent’, it isn’t a file sharing service as such (although it can be used as one). It’s a very quick, very simple synchronisation utility. It’s worth reading the technical specs at http://getsync.com/tech-specs
Cheers,
Bill
Posted by MadaboutDana
Sep 15, 2014 at 10:30 PM
Actually, it’s worth reading the latest blog update on BitTorrent Sync - the latest version has added some very powerful features, and is compatible with an increasingly wide range of NAS devices. It’s becoming a very viable private alternative to Dropbox and other Cloud-based services.
Blog entry at: http://blog.bittorrent.com/2014/08/26/introducing-bittorrent-sync-1-4-an-easier-way-to-share-large-files/
Posted by MadaboutDana
Sep 15, 2014 at 10:35 PM
Sorry, thinking a little sporadically - apologies for multiple entries.
I should mention that I use BT Sync to share data between my various devices (four at the last count); I’ve watched it progressively improve over the last 12 months or so to become a very fast, very convenient solution, which runs entirely independently of third-party servers - that’s the key point. It’s totally private (although there is an option to use a ‘tracker’ server to streamline P2P discovery; peer to peer is what it’s all about).
The latest version has made it much easier to share my data with other people. I haven’t used it much yet, but will be testing it out in the near future.
Posted by drm vorlock
Sep 17, 2014 at 10:55 PM
It should be noted that BitTorrent Sync refuses to document their encryption protocol despite numerous requests from security researchers. This is a red flag. Closed source encryption, post-Snowden, has become untenable. Beyond the question of competent implementation, unsubstantiated claims of privacy can even function as a honeypot—case in point Skype.
An open alternative to BitTorrent Sync, suggested by security guru Steve Gibson, is synchthing at http://www.syncthing.net
Posted by MadaboutDana
Sep 23, 2014 at 10:30 AM
Thanks for that tip – interesting point. Foolishly, I hadn’t realised BitTorrent Sync was so closed. I shall do a little more research (syncthing looks pretty cool but still rather underdeveloped).