New Feature: Private Files - The Next Safest Place After Local Storage

To truly protect important files, the most secure approach is to keep them locally stored.

Don't put them on the internet. Don't share them with anyone. Don't sync them. This is the best way. However, in reality, there are times when you need to pass files to someone else. There are also times when you want to retrieve them from another device. Additionally, you may want to keep them in the cloud as a backup.

What is needed here is not a "trustworthy operator," but rather a system that works even if you don't trust the operator.

We've added a new feature called Private File to EasyOne. This is an upload method that aims to be the next best thing to local storage in terms of security.

Does a Truly Censorship-Resistant Cloud Storage Exist?

Cloud storage is convenient. However, ordinary cloud storage is not only a place to store files but also a place where the operator has control.

Google Drive, in its official policy, states that it may review content to check for policy violations, restrict access, delete files, or suspend accounts. This means your files are not just stored; they are also subject to rule enforcement.

Even services like MEGA that strongly emphasize privacy can still have files deleted or accounts suspended due to public links, reports, copyright infringement claims, or legal requests. Even with end-to-end encryption, a "publicly shared link with a key" is no longer a secret. A privacy promise alone does not guarantee resistance to censorship.

Proton Drive might be the first service that comes to mind when thinking of secure cloud storage. Proton Drive has a robust design, emphasizing that even Proton itself cannot access user data.

However, Proton Drive is a comprehensive cloud storage service prioritizing privacy, and choosing it involves considerations of capacity, price, account system, and existing ecosystem. For uses like quickly uploading, sharing with anonymous links, or using it like file transfer, it might feel too heavy.

What Makes EasyOne's Private Different?

In EasyOne, encrypting file contents in the browser before uploading is a prerequisite.

By the time the file reaches the server, its contents are unreadable. Without the key, even if an administrator directly views the database or storage, they cannot restore the file contents.

The new feature, Private File, achieves even stronger security.

File names, MIME types, original sizes, and other metadata that could infer the file's meaning are also encrypted. This means that without the key, not only the file contents but also whether it's an image, PDF, or video remains unknown.

Not even EasyOne administrators, storage providers, or internet service providers can know. Only the uploader, with the correct key, can decrypt the metadata.

This is not a promise of "we won't look," but a design of "even if we wanted to, we couldn't."

Minimizing Visible Information

Even with Private File, some minimal information is retained for service operation.

For example, uploader information, save expiration dates, information needed for billing or plan determination, encrypted sizes, and deletion status are kept. Without these, storage operation, capacity limits, and control as a feature limited to Basic+ users would be impossible.

However, information to understand the file's content is not stored. File names, extensions, types, original metadata, and more are handled in a form that is unreadable without the key.

This technically narrows the room for cloud service operators to "review" files. That is what EasyOne's Private File is.

It's Still Not Magic

Private File has a strong mechanism, but it's not magic.

If you lose the decryption key, EasyOne cannot recover it. Only uploaders who log in with the correct key will be able to view the file. Also, Private File is not a get-out-of-jail-free card for illegal activities. It does not permit uses that violate laws or terms of service.

The importance lies in the operator not having the power to arbitrarily view file contents or infer the type from metadata.

It's not about demanding trust but creating a structure where trust is not needed. That's the value of Private File.

Summary

The moment you put a file in the cloud, it comes under someone's control.

That's why EasyOne creates a state with Private File where the file is "managed but not read." Not only the file body but also metadata are encrypted. To anyone but the key holder, the file's true nature remains hidden.

The next best thing to local storage in safety.

EasyOne's Private File is the answer to cloud storage.