Has anyone here used some cloud storage service for years without getting your account locked out?
Example, using tutanota/protonmail to store files with a tor account is not great, because I have experienced how they randomly locked the accounts out (after a lot of attempts at trying to register since they also randomly block registrations and you have to try several ip’s until one works) because their automated systems automatically flag stuff. Which also begs the question: what email accounts you could trust with tor that are not locked out?
I want a free service because I only need a few MB’s for documents, so anything that has a free service that does not randomly ban your account should do.
Of course any files will be encrypted before uploading. My only concern here is getting your email/cloud storage account/both closed on any random day.
I do not use recovery methods because if they lock your account, the account is locked anyway because of some anti tor policy that randomly flags your account and then no amount of recovery methods will work since they probably will force you to dox you with some nonsense phone verification or similar.
It’s just not a nice feeling knowing your files may potentially be locked there forever stored on a server and you can do nothing (since you would need to get doxed). If the encryption is a random 64+ pass with some local keyfile needed then I guess these files are useless for an attacker but you never know long term with this quantum crap so ideally you don’t want to leave copies out of your reach but since they randomly ban tor ip’s anything could happen.
TL;DR: I need a way to keep encrypted files in the cloud in any case because you also never know when the next tsunami type event hits. I know people in japan that lost all their backups and they had no cloud storage copies so yeah. The question is how to keep it safe without doxing yourself and without randomly getting accounts blocked due random tor flags. Please no VPNs.
Free + Tor isn’t a great mix since it’s ripe for abuse. I’d try aging the account for a while before uploading things to it, otherwise you may either have to compromise on anonymity or cost if you want to stick with Proton or Tuta. You can try other services instead like Cryptomator/VeraCrypt + a free Nextcloud service, some might have minimal registration restrictions.
If you have a small amount of encrypted data to keep offline, please consider a USB flash drive on your keychain/keyring, a MicroSDXC card in your wallet, or both.
Yes, you should always obviously encrypt before uploading, im just asking about some combinations of email + service that works well with Tor. I do have some proton emails that last for a long time but you always have this feeling of oh when are they going to ban it, or perhaps you forget to log in after x months and they lock it or something.
I have tried some free cloud services that seem to respect tor users, the problem is, I do not see a way to see a checksum of the uploaded file, so you don’t know if the file has been modified. Well you would need to write down a sha256 checksum to compare and download the file, but you cannot see it online. Perhaps this is good for privacy?
This does not protect you the physical potential situations I described. If you get hit by a tsunami, im pretty sure there is an higher wallet you lose your USB/device thing than if you upload an encrypted volume with a 128char password with a keyfile that you could host in diversified places online too since it useless by itself. IMO you have to balance out the risks of not having diversification (you don’t have diversification because you are hosting everything in your home) and the risk of having online backups (but that if the encryption is good, should be impossible to crack, but you have the risk that you get locked out of your files for some reason, like the Tor ban thing)
Both free and TOR supported are difficult requirements. Combined they are extremely difficult because most people looking for free services via TOR….are not the type of ‘customer’ services want to attract.
If the files are already encrypted it may be worth considering if TOR is necessary for meeting your needs for security and privacy.
Of if you are willing to give up the ‘free’ requirement instead, a VPS might be an answer. Paying for one anonymously is not easy but also far from impossible.
A Third option could be something different entirely. Do you have a trusted friend or family member that lives in a different region you could mail an encrypted drive to?
Final idea is a bit out there but….do you use apple products? iCloud private relay is more private than VPNs and lacks the access/filtering difficulties encountered with TOR (or VPNs for that matter).
I understand what you are saying, but perhaps I should elaborate. I have “rsync” copies of my backups on various systems around the house.
I also have “rsync” copies of my backups on USB flash drive and MicroSDXC. I have a minimum of one of those on my person at all times. When I leave the house, I have both. In other words, my offsite (and offline) backups travel with me. Everything is encrypted.
If the house burns down while I am away, I have backups.
If the house burns down with me in it, I am not going to be around to worry about backups.
I accept minimal risk with my personal backup plan, but I also do not have to worry about my data falling into the wrong hands.
Using Tor would pretty much only increase the likelihood of your account getting suspended.
Tor is not a panacea, and has it’s own disadvantages. If you do not need strong anonymity, there is no need to use Tor. End-to-end encrypted cloud storages like Filen or Proton drive are more than enough for ordinary use.
And if you individually encrypt all your files prior to upload, then I believe it is fine to use almost any cloud provider (including MEGA, GD, OD, etc) since they have absolutely zero access to your data in plaintext.
Wouldn’t Hyphanet be a bit difficult for people who aren’t “technically capable”? Also isn’t it impossible to use Hyphanet over Tor without workarounds?
You upload your data without Tor encrypted somewhere and your government becomes a totalitarian state. Said totalitarian state now knock knocks on your door because they want you to decrypt. Why gamble with that?