Upload and organise files

Drive is your maximally secured file storage. Every file and every journal is encrypted directly on your own device, before it is actually stored. Our servers only see this data as unreadable code; we can never open or view your files.

Uploading #

Adding files #

Click the yellow Upload button and choose Files or Folder. You can also simply drag files from your desktop straight into the Drive window.

Following progress #

At the bottom of the screen, the Uploads panel shows exactly how far the transfer is. Large files are automatically split into pieces. Should your internet connection drop for a moment, the upload simply continues afterwards from where it left off.

Automatic sorting #

All uploaded items are sorted neatly under fixed headings per type, such as Folders, Journals, Documents, Images or Other files.

Security detailsWhat is this?

• A file is split into blocks, each encrypted with ChaCha20-Poly1305 under a random per-file key and bound to its file and position.
• The file key is encrypted for the members of the group that owns the folder (your personal group, or the shared group for a shared Drive); the server never holds the file key in clear.
• Name, type, size, modified date and a whole-file checksum are encrypted under the file key and bound to the file. Folder names are encrypted under the group key.
• The server stores the encrypted blocks, the encrypted size, the encrypted file key, the group id, the folder tree and timestamps, plus a SHA-256 hash of the plaintext that the client reports for the security scan (see below). Every change to Drive is written together with an audit entry signed by your device.

Your plan sets a maximum file size and your total storage. At the bottom of the box on the right of the page, the meter shows how much storage has been used. Are you in a group's Drive? Then this is the storage used by the whole organisation the group belongs to.

Folders #

• New folder creates a folder at the current location in Drive.
• To move an item, open the file menu through the three dots after the file and choose Move to folder at the bottom. Then choose the right location (within the group you are in) and confirm with Move here.
• Select several rows to move them together to another folder or to the trash. Select all picks every file you see in the list.

Renaming and downloading #

Click the three dots (the menu) after the file or folder. Here you can also choose Open, Rename, Download or Download as ZIP.

As soon as you download something, Databeamer turns the unreadable code back into a normal file on your own device. It immediately checks that the file was not damaged on the way and that nothing was tampered with. All in order? Then the download window shows the notice File integrity verified (meaning the file arrived completely safe and complete).

Security detailsWhat is this?

Each block is authenticated as it is decrypted, and the whole file is compared with the checksum from its encrypted metadata before it is shown as complete.

Searching #

Use the Search files… box to quickly find the right files in your current folder. You then only see the files that match your search term. The contents are not searched. Good to know: because all file names are heavily encrypted, your own device searches through the list. So our server does not search along with you and never sees what you are looking for.

Details: what we store #

Click Details on a file to see how well your privacy is protected. An overview appears on the right; it has two halves:

• On your device: here you see what you see yourself, such as the real file name, how big the file is and the type (such as a PDF or image).
• What we store: here you see what is actually on our server. That is only a random string of letters and digits (an anonymous identifier) and the encoded file size. We store nothing else at all.

Here you also find the status of the Security scan. Databeamer automatically checks your uploads for known digital threats, without us being able to see the contents of your file. You see one of the following statuses: No threats detected, Scan in progress, Threat detected or Not scanned.

Security detailsWhat is this?

The scan is a hash check, not a content scan. Your browser computes a SHA-256 hash of the plaintext before encrypting and reports it with the upload; it is looked up in a threat-intelligence service. The result is advisory: downloads are never blocked on it, and only a Threat detected result has a consequence (the file cannot be saved to a Drive). Because identical files produce identical hashes, the server can tell that two users hold the same file, though not what it is.

Sharing files #

There is no per-file share button, by design. To share, either put the file in a group's Drive, where every member can see it, or send it as a transfer. Files you receive can be copied into your own Drive with Save to Databeamer Drive.