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 open-source software that brings 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 their digital privacy and want to collaborate without compromising their data.
A Privacy-Focused Revolution
The team behind Encrypted Spaces aims to address the growing risks associated with centralized cloud services. These risks include exposure, loss of control, and self-censorship, which are particularly concerning for journalists, activists, patients, and social-service organizations. By encrypting data and making operations cryptographically verifiable, Encrypted Spaces provides a safer environment for sensitive information sharing and collaboration.
Nora Trapp, an engineer at Harvard's Applied Social Media Lab and former technical lead at the Signal Foundation, explains the project's goal: "We want to provide the technological surface area for developers to build all these apps in a privacy-preserving way." This approach is similar to the Signal protocol but tailored for collaboration apps, ensuring that developers can create secure and private collaborative tools.
A Platform for Developers
Instead of building individual apps, Encrypted Spaces focuses on creating infrastructure that developers can use to build their own encrypted apps. This reusable platform offers a standard library that developers can review and use, inheriting the security benefits without the complexity of cryptography. Matt Green, a Johns Hopkins Computer Science Professor, emphasizes the importance of this approach: "I like the idea that we’re going to have a standard library for this that a lot of people can review. And if you use this library, you inherit all the security for free."
Zero-Knowledge Proofs and Untrusted Storage
At the core of Encrypted Spaces is the use of zero-knowledge proofs, a technology also central to privacy-focused cryptocurrency Zcash. These proofs allow a central server to keep users updated on the latest document versions without accessing unencrypted data. This ensures that even the server doesn't have access to sensitive information, making it a truly secure and private collaboration platform.
Anthony Ronning, CTO of Maple, a privacy-focused AI startup, describes Encrypted Spaces as "Verifiable, encrypted, untrusted storage." This untrusted storage model is a significant step forward in ensuring that collaboration apps can maintain user privacy and security.
Existing Options and Government Concerns
While Encrypted Spaces offers a promising solution, it's not the only option for E2EE collaboration. Proton, for example, provides a suite of encrypted workspace and productivity apps, and Fileverse offers blockchain-based, Web3-type systems for documents and spreadsheets. CryptPad even provides an E2EE version of Trello.
However, the project's potential to democratize secure collaboration has raised concerns among governments. The long-standing debates over encryption and the Crypto Wars of the 90s, including the infamous Clipper Chip, indicate that governments are unlikely to embrace such technologies without resistance. The recent situation in the UK, where Signal President Meredith Whittaker threatened to pull the app due to privacy concerns, highlights the ongoing tension between app developers and governments.
The U.S. export-control directive, which forced Anthropic to suspend access to its AI models for foreign nationals, further underscores the challenges of implementing strong encryption. As Encrypted Spaces gains traction, it will undoubtedly spark discussions about the balance between security, privacy, and government oversight.
Conclusion
Encrypted Spaces is a significant development in the world of online collaboration, offering a secure and private alternative to traditional cloud services. While it may face resistance from governments, the project's focus on developer-friendly infrastructure and zero-knowledge proofs makes it a compelling solution for those seeking to collaborate without compromising their data. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, initiatives like Encrypted Spaces will play a crucial role in shaping a more secure and privacy-conscious future.
