Signal Veterans Want to Encrypt Slack, Google Docs, and Basically Every Other App
The world of online collaboration is about to get a whole lot more secure. A team of developers, including the co-creator of the Signal protocol and contributors from Microsoft and Harvard, is building out open-source software that can bring the privacy and security of Signal's end-to-end encryption (E2EE) to collaborative apps like Slack, Google Docs, and Discord. This project, called Encrypted Spaces, is a game-changer for those who value privacy and security in their digital interactions.
A Push Back Against Centralized Risks
The project's website highlights the risks associated with centralized cloud services, especially for journalists, activists, patients, and social-service organizations. These risks include exposure, loss of control, and self-censorship, which can have serious consequences for those who rely on these services for their work.
"We want to provide the technological surface area for developers to build all these apps in a privacy-preserving way," says Nora Trapp, an engineer at Harvard’s Applied Social Media Lab and former technical lead at the Signal Foundation. This approach ensures that developers can create encrypted apps without the complexities of cryptography, making it easier for them to implement E2EE from the base layer.
A Platform for Developers, Not End Users
One of the key strengths of Encrypted Spaces is that it's a reusable platform aimed at developers rather than end users. This means that developers can build upon a standard library, inheriting all the security features for free. As Matt Green, a Johns Hopkins Computer Science Professor, explains, "You can think of it as the Signal protocol for collaboration apps."
Zero-Knowledge Proofs: The Secret Sauce
At the heart of Encrypted Spaces is the use of zero-knowledge proofs. These proofs allow a central server to keep each end user updated on the latest version of a document or other area of collaboration without ever accessing unencrypted data. This technology is also central to privacy-focused cryptocurrency Zcash, ensuring that data remains secure and private.
Existing Options, But Not Without Flaws
While there are existing options for E2EE collaboration apps, such as Proton's suite of workspace and productivity apps and the blockchain-based Fileverse, they have their limitations. CryptPad's E2EE version of Trello is a step in the right direction, but Encrypted Spaces offers a more comprehensive solution by providing a reusable platform for developers.
Government Pushback: A Familiar Story
Despite the benefits of Encrypted Spaces, it's likely to face resistance from governments. The project's focus on democratizing technology and ensuring privacy and security is likely to reignite debates over encryption, as seen in the Crypto Wars of the 90s and the recent situation in the UK, where Signal threatened to leave the country rather than comply with certain measures. The U.S. export-control directive targeting Anthropic's AI models further underscores the ongoing tension between governments and strong encryption.
A Future with More Secure Collaboration
As Encrypted Spaces continues to develop, it has the potential to revolutionize the way we collaborate online, ensuring that our data remains secure and private. While it may face challenges and pushback, the project's open-source nature and focus on developer-friendly infrastructure make it a promising step towards a more secure digital future.
In my opinion, Encrypted Spaces is a welcome development in the world of online collaboration. It addresses a critical need for privacy and security, and its open-source approach ensures that developers can build upon a secure foundation. As we continue to navigate the complexities of the digital age, projects like this are essential to safeguarding our online interactions.
