Privacy Basics

Don’t trust third parties with your secrets

When you use a third-party service to store your data or secrets, you are unnecessarily trusting an entity that does not deserve your trust. Forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but many of us need to be reminded of this fact.

In recent years, it seems that we’ve forgotten, or never learned that real, strong, three-letter-agency-proof encryption exists outside of apps and is available to us all. It’s just fairly inconvenient for a normal user on a day to day basis.

There is an old, almost-cliche-at-this-point principle that there is always a trade-off between security and convenience.

With Aegix Privacy Basics we are attempting to aid in that balancing act by making the most inconvenient and thus the most secure practices a bit more convenient and tolerable without compromising real security. The focus here is practical cyber security for the individual, not security theater for the enterprise.

TNO

Trust No One (TNO) is a principle that is often cited in the context of cryptography. Everyday computer users can benefit from this principle by using real encryption they control to protect their data.

When we say “real encryption” we mean the kind that deters three-letter-agencies and state-sponsored hackers.

For starters, let’s consider two very common needs:

1. A place to store passwords / passphrases
   • See PASS
     • This is a simple password manager that uses real encryption to encrypt and store passwords locally.
2. A place to store private notes
   • See Cyphertext Alcove
     • This is a simple note manager that uses real, strong encryption to encrypt and store notes (or any files) locally.

If you made it this far, keep going. You’ll get a scoobie snack.