• [deleted]

[deleted] Google doesnt have financial means? Mate, come on... The biggest ad company in the world have that and the largest computing power (and interest) to do whatever they set their mind to. Oh yes, their cloud may be secure but I would not bet my life on the fact that they would use my data for charitable purposes. Calm down mate, dont get so defensive, I never said you cant use it, in fact here is my 15GB of storage, go on and use it.

    [deleted]

    They would not, they cannot, they do not. I've never assumed they would. Why would they? Then, why encrypt at all? I mean, obviously Google has no interest in your files, encrypted or not. The last line of my comment was more of a joke and meant as nod to the conspiracy theorist in me and maybe others.

    To begin with it simply cannot. And it doesn't have the financial means to do this kind of thing.

    They simply can. I know, I know, tinfoil hat, but let me speak. Every encryption can be broken with enough time (like a lot of time) and energy and CPUs and enough raw brute force power. I am not saying anybody would (especially not Google, since it's illegal and pointless), but since you stated Google simply cannot, I would like to object. And financial means ... Google appears kinda rich to me.

    • [deleted]

    [deleted] You make up so much... Create an encrypted folder with a 256 character password and don't worry. Even the NSA won't waste time breaking the password. On that note I'll leave it at that.

    If people cannot have a civil conversation, we'll have to close the thread. Let's do better guys, please.

    Google Drive is a pretty good choice if you're just looking for a generic cloud to upload your files, in my opinion. That said, I wouldn't upload my files unencrypted (without using a tool like Cryptomator, that is). Not because I think Google would specifically look at my files or because I think it generally looks at people's files. Them having the option to do so is the issue.

    Peoples' needs differ; there's no one-size-fits-all solution. Some people may not mind Google technically having the ability to look at their files, or they may not be uploading personal/sensitive files in the first place (think e.g. schoolwork). Others may want to use a product like Google Drive to upload more personal files and don't want the service provider (in this case, Google) to have the option to look at their files. Since Google Drive doesn't use end-to-end encryption, in those cases, it makes sense for something like Cryptomator to be used, which paired with a strong password to secure the vault (which you can store in your password manager) makes the files inaccessible to them.

    Being able to secure your Google Drive account with a hardware security key (as is the case with advanced protection program) makes it an attractive option for a generic cloud service compared to others, though it is important to note that other mainstream cloud service providers allow you to secure your account with a hardware security key (I believe Dropbox is among those, to name a big one). However, it's not the only option, and it's not even necessarily the best option either.

    If you are someone who doesn't want to bother with a tool like Cryptomator (such as if you're primarily using Android - the Android experience with Cryptomator is currently far from ideal), and you want to obscure your files from the service provider, a provider that implements E2EE itself may be a better choice. Options that I can think of include Proton Drive and Tresorit.

    All in all, I'll re-iterate that there are no one-size-fits-all solutions, and there is no need for things to get heated or for us to enter into arguments - we're all on the same side! :)

    Finally, let's remember to try and refrain from extreme statements with no basis in reality. No, Google (or anyone) can't just arbitrarily break strong encryption; that's not how things work, and even if it was how things worked, rest assured that if strong modern encryption could be broken, Google (or anyone else) decrypting our cat photos on the cloud would be the least of our concerns.

    Thanks everyone. I like the spirited debate as it makes for good recourse information. Thank you all for caring about my privacy.

    I was curious how cryptomator would protect my information in the cloud on say Google drive.... I get how it will protect it from being accessed from the devices that have cryptomator, but how does it stop someone frim accessing my drive frim their computer?

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      d9780

      It depends on the context.
      If your cryptomator vault is opened and your computer is compromised, your data may be at risk, yes.

      d9780 it end to end encrypts the data so its only available unencrypted on devices which have your cryptomator key.

      Its also possible to do similar with the android rclone client rcx and its successor (currently only testing releases) extRact

        dazinism
        That sounds wonderful. I've been trying to figure out how to sync me drive w mega cloud and upload everything to it, but it sounds like with this service I could just keep using my drive as is without mega?

          9 days later

          dazinism
          Thanks much! How do I get one cryptomater on all my devices without paying for it 12 times. I got allot of profiles in graphene and Linux plus my every day devices....

          Does it have a barcode to install on other devices?

          d9780
          I just went to download cryptomator from aurora store and it said google drive was not supported due to external dependences? It says it supports it on its site?

            d9780 Note that you need Sandboxed Google Play to use Google Drive with Cryptomator. Also, some versions of Cryptomator strip it out, I think.