Can I Encypt a Photo Then Upload It to Google Drive?
This month marks the 6th anniversary of my Google Bulldoze account. I've been aware since the beginning that the thousands of files I have uploaded to the service are stored unencrypted on Google'due south servers.
That hasn't prevented me from uploading plenty of sensitive data to Google Drive, including dozens of invoices that list my address and the corporeality of money I was billing for, although the invoices exercise non include any depository financial institution-business relationship or Social Security numbers.
I could take easily encrypted the files using any number of free services. In final May'south "Free services brand Gmail, Google Drive, and Google search more individual," I described the BoxCryptor program that adds an encrypted folder to Google Drive.
I recently discovered ii free services that take dissimilar approaches to online encryption. With Fogpad, yous create and edit text files via a bones online word processor. The files are encrypted on the client PC before beingness uploaded automatically to your Google Drive business relationship.
Update on August 4, 2013: The Fogpad site was unavailable for several hours today, just equally of ix:30 p.m. PDT the service is back online.
Past dissimilarity, the Tresorit cloud-storage service lets you download some or all of your Google Bulldoze files, and then encrypt them in the Windows-based Tresorit program as they are uploaded to your Tresorit account in the cloud. Tresorit offers 5GB of free online storage, and the company plans to release versions of the plan for Macs and iOS devices.
Fogpad is the simpler of the two methods, simply it encrypts text files merely and requires that yous create the file on the Fogpad.internet site. Tresorit lets you transmit an encrypted version of the files stored in a folder on your Windows PC to the company'south servers.
Both services encrypt the files on the client side, and then the companies themselves are unable to decrypt the files y'all store on their servers. That doesn't guarantee the security of the data, notwithstanding.
Last calendar week, CNET'southward Declan McCullagh explained revelations past the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in proceedings relating to requests by Microsoft and Google to disclose details almost their interactions with government agencies.
Information technology would appear that if information exists anywhere on the Net, the U.S. government may request access to information technology, although major Internet service providers insist they do non honor every data asking a government agency makes. The rule remains: If information technology's actually sensitive, it doesn't vest anywhere online.
Password-protect the text files you store on Google Drive
When yous click the big, red "Create a secure certificate" push button on the main Fogpad page, you're prompted to sign into your Google account. The first time you lot do then, y'all're asked to grant the service access to your account.
Y'all're so prompted to enter and confirm a password for the certificate.
Type your password twice and printing Enter to open up the Fogpad editing window. Click the title at the pinnacle of the window to give the file a name. It is saved automatically when you stop typing.
The text-editing options include the standard cut, re-create, paste, notice, replace, and format text. You can insert images, tables, lines, and special characters. Apply one of xv formatting styles and 10 paragraph formats, including six levels of headings.
When you press the Back button you return to the main Google Bulldoze window. The file proper noun appears in the listing, and the file type is labeled "undefined." No preview of the file appears when you select information technology.
Click Open > Fogpad and enter the file's password to open it in the Fogpad editor. In my testing, encrypted files wouldn't download, and when I shared a link to an encrypted file, the recipient was unable to open up the file.
The Fogpad site's About page describes its 256-chip AES encryption as "armed forces-grade cryptography" simply offers no other details almost the service'southward encryption methodology.
Transfer encrypted versions of your Google Drive files to another service
Where Fogpad encrypts Google Bulldoze files one at a time, the Tresorit service goes the i-roughshod-swoop route: all the files in the folder you select are encrypted every bit you sync them with Tresorit's servers, and you command the encryption fundamental, rather than Tresorit or anyone else, according to the visitor. The Tresorit site's security folio provides details on the service'due south customer-side encryption technique.
As I noted above, the Tresorit client is currently available only for Windows, merely the company plans to release versions for the Mac and iOS devices. Also, Tresorit doesn't encrypt the files on the PC'southward hard bulldoze; it encrypts the files only every bit they are transmitted to the company'due south servers and gives users command of the encryption key.
To download all your Google Drive files to a single zipped binder, check the box in the top-left corner of the list and select More > Download. Alternatively, check merely the files you desire to encrypt and transfer to Tresorit, and then choose More > Download.
A window shows the progress of the file zipping and download. You can have Google send you an eastward-mail when the download is complete.
After you lot download and install the Tresorit program, open the app and choose New Tresor in the lesser-left corner of the window. Click Browse and navigate to the folder containing the files you just downloaded from Google Drive. Click the Select Folder push button, change the name of the Tresor (if you lot wish), and click Next.
You tin can share the Tresor with someone else, simply that person has to download and install the programme on their Windows PC. You lot're prompted to enter the recipient's email address and to send them an invitation. Click Cease to create the Tresor and encrypt the files as they sync with the Tresorit deject servers.
Subsequent syncs are performed automatically, or yous can click the Sync Now push. You can also choose the option to disconnect from the estimator.
The only settings available in the program permit you sign out, uncheck the option to start Tresorit with Windows, and hide notifications (they're shown by default).
It took less than 30 minutes to download a 200MB Google Drive archive and upload information technology to a gratis Tresorit business relationship. The files included Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, native Google files, text files, PDFs, and various image files.
When I tested Tresorit by sharing and synching folders betwixt 2 PCs, some syncs took several minutes to complete while others were done in just a few seconds.
The files can be accessed only via the Tresorit program rather than through a browser. This restricts your power to share files considering the recipients have to download and install the Tresorit client. At least this limitation may prevent oversharing.
Tresorit offers 5GB of gratuitous storage. The visitor'due south support page indicates more storage and features are available for monthly fees, but it doesn't describe the features or state what the rates are.
The page suggests you contact Tresorit for more information, but the simply email accost I could find on the English-language version of the site was on the Careers page and was addressed to the Hour section. A request for information placed on the company'south back up forum went unanswered. The lack of contact information is troubling, to say the least.
Autonomously from the inability to contact the company, Tresorit ran without a hitch when I tested the program on a Windows seven PC and a Windows 8 laptop. I felt confident enough in the encrypted Google Drive archive on Tresorit to delete the sensitive files I had stored in Google Bulldoze.
Source: https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/two-free-ways-to-encrypt-google-drive-files/
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