[tahoe-dev] Stupid question: How can I keep my own data private?

[Greg Troxel]

Jim Dorrington <jdorrington at compuguide.info> writes:

> Simply stated I would like to be able to backup and retrieve my data from
> "the cloud". 

You're basically on the right track.

However, note that tahoe-lafs is a piece of software, not a service.  So
there is no cloud already there suitable for backup.  In particular the
test grid ("pubgrid") should not be relied on.  I run a pubgrid storage
node, and when the disk gets full I just randomly rm shares, trying to
pick ones that seem likely to be from non-reciprocal users (people who
store more than they provide).

> Currently (before Tahoe) I compress and encrypt about 500MB of critical data
> and then upload this to a conventional online storage service provider on a
> weekly basis.
>
> I would like to do this with Tahoe-LAFS, but having experimented with the
> Test Grid, I must have misunderstood how it works because I found that,
> while I was able to upload and download my own data, I was also able to do
> this with other people's data! 

That doesn't sound right; perhaps you can explain what you did in more
detail.   If you are able to get the plaintext of other's data, that's a
serious bug, but no one believes that's possible.

> How can I keep my own data private?

Basically, don't share your capabilities.  Data is encrypted, and then
erasure coded, so without the encryption key (in the capability), the
shares, even if put back together, don't reveal the plaintext.

Or, encrypt your data first, and then upload it.  I sometimes do that,
but it's because I don't trust the handling of capabilities (e.g., via
browsers) - the underlying crypto seems sound.

> Do I have to create my own "Grid"? 

No; that's more about having control over availability.

> If not how do I locate and join a grid where my data is private?

volunteergrid2 may be accepting members still, but IMHO you should get
more familiar with how tahoe works before joining a grid.
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