Clipperz

Web developers and web users are still largely ignoring the opportunity offered by browser-based cryptography to bring the privacy and security of traditional software programs to web applications. At Clipperz we envisioned a new architecture paradigm called “zero-knowledge web apps” that combines the idea of host-proof hosting with a set of rules focused on the “learn nothing” mantra. The name was both an homage to cryptography (a “zero-knowledge proof” is a standard cryptographic protocol) and a promise of a specific relation between the application provider and the users. The server hosting the web app could know nothing of its users, not even their usernames! Clipperz applied this paradigm to implement its online password manager. (www.clipperz.com) Now we need help to expand the cryptographic foundation of Clipperz in order to to make it easier for third party projects to use robust cryptographic algorithms in the Javascript code of their web apps and ultimately bring more privacy and freedom to the world.

We are all interested in freedom. Clipperz is focusing on the freedom to keep your data for yourself. You should be able to reclaim and enjoy this freedom also when using web applications. You can protect the privacy of your data by using the many encryption tools that are available (GPG, TrueCrypt, …). But when it comes to web applications things get complicated. The benefits of web apps (ubiquitous access, seamless upgrades, reliable storage, …) are many, but we are forced to trust web applications provider with our data (bookmarks, text documents, chat transcripts, financial info, … and now health records) that no longer resides on our hard disks, but are stored somewhere “in the cloud”.

Marco Barulli