New File Sharing Site Keybase Promises Better Security Than Dropbox

Everybody should make an effort to better protect themselves (and their information) on a daily basis. Use two-factor authentication. Encrypt emails. Make sure any of the software you download hasn’t been messed with. But it’s such a headache to do all this on the reg.

Enter Keybase, a new file sharing site that’s claiming to offer better protection than Dropbox. Originally, the company started out with the intention to make life easier to encrypt email. Now, they’ve expanded into other areas including Dropbox-style file sharing where they’re hoping to have a significant impact. They’re off to a good start too. Keybase just landed a $10.8 million in funding.

“Encryption shouldn’t be something only a hacker can do,” says Max Krohn, co-founder and co-developer of Keybase. “It should be something that anyone using a workstation in their daily lives should be able to use effectively. You shouldn’t have to understand crypto in order to use these products.”

Keybase will primarily focus on public-key encryption. The basic idea is that you create two keys: a “public key” that can be used to scramble messages in a way that can only be deciphered by using a second “private key.” But your keys can be used for more than just messages. They can be used for signing messages (as a proof of authenticity) and other files too.

The company wants to solve the problem of finding the public key of someone you want to share a message with. As a solution to this problem, Keybase created a central repository for public keys and uses sites like Reddit and Twitter to verify that you are who you say you are. So basically, it’s kind of like a social network in itself for sharing keys.
You can read more about Keybase by clicking here.