Bitcasa chief executive Tony Gauda has revealed how their cloud computing service will encrypt data, speaking at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in the United States.
In an interview with angel investor and entrepreneur Hadi Partovi, Gauda revealed their service will use the encryption technique known as convergent encryption.
Convergent encryption is an encryption technique that has been around for a few years. Instead of generating a completely new encryption key for each file, it will generate a key from the contents of the file, to avoid duplicate uploads.
The company’s decision to use convergent encryption has been met with criticism in the encryption community, as it could provide organisations such as the MPAA and RIAA the means of tracking down illegal copies of files.
Bitcasa’s claims to provide unlimited storage for only US$10, has been met scepticism. The service is currently open for beta testing.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
