Tag Archives: Data Encryption

This discreet VPN connects to your device to establish a secure connection and keep your data safe!

Posted on by

Since most of our workdays take place online, the use of VPNs for secure web surfing has steadily risen in popularity. Some of us may use VPNs to freely access the internet via a secure connection and to ensure that our data is encrypted and inaccessible by cyber intruders. They come in handy when working on hush-hush jobs such as upcoming campaigns or classified projects. Adding his VPN design to the mix, Ian Redcay conceptualized Black, a virtual private network and hardware solution for data protection and unrestricted internet access for the everyday user.

Traditionally, VPNs have operated as online services or expensive hardware systems bought by companies to protect their data, while remaining mostly unavailable to the average consumer. To create a more accessible solution for consumers who’d like to freely interact with the web through an established secure connection, Redcay designed Black. All but for the transparent compartment that encases Black’s internal PCB, the portable VPN device dons a jet black exterior. The subtle and contrasting combination of transparency and opacity expresses Black’s dual purpose of data encryption and open internet access.

While Black’s exterior might be a focal point in and of itself, the hardware’s exterior works with its internal function to merge aesthetics with practicality. Once a user connects to Black through their personal device, whether a laptop or smartphone, then integrated VPN processing encrypts the user’s data while managing network access to protect the user’s anonymity. In addition to Black’s main function of data encryption, features such as silent air vents and LED indicators further drive home Black’s commitment to obscurity. Through minimal branding and understated design elements, Redcay conceptualized a VPN device that is as inconspicuous and guarded in appearance as it is slick and efficient in function.

Designer: Ian Redcay

Black’s exposed PCB allows users to witness the internal processes within VPN hardware.

Black was inspired by classic and contemporary tech design solutions.

Black is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, yet stealthy enough to protect your data from anywhere.

Air vents are located above and beneath the PCB to allow cold air to passively cool components during extended use.

“The exposed internal circuit board provides visual context to data encryption as it occurs within the device through a winding array of circuits and internal components,” remarks Redcay.

Maintaining its cohesive brand identity, everything from Black’s purpose to its packaging remains sleek in obscurity and aesthetic.

The small nature of Black provides it with a portability feature that lets you bring data protection anywhere you go.

On the overall look of Black, Redcay says, “Black’s branding is minimal at most; a small monogram that is hardly discernible from afar, unifying the identity of the brand and function of the device through a consistent visual language.”

Google’s Android L Will Offer Data Encryption by Default

Posted on by
Android L

Mountain View’s next version of its mobile OS will feature improved data encryption as a default feature. This means that privacy is no longer “powered by Android,” as it has now become an obligatory characteristic.

Recent events (the Snowden affair, leaked celebrity pictures, etc.) have convinced tech companies that lack of proper encryption can represent a threat to people’s privacy. Government agencies and hackers are equally dangerous, but not everyone is able to put their hands on a Boeing Black or a Blackphone. In this context, smartphone manufacturers and mobile OS developers need to find a way to make data encryption a default trait of their products. Google is among the first ones to announce major changes in this department.

When asked by eWeek about details regarding the enhanced privacy of Android L, a Google spokesperson declared that “For over three years Android has offered encryption, and keys are not stored off of the device, so they cannot be shared with law enforcement. As part of our next Android release, encryption will be enabled by default out of the box, so you won’t even have to think about turning it on.”

Google is not the only one to offer data encryption by default in its mobile OS, as iOS 8, the latest mobile OS to roll out of Apple’s hands, worships privacy in an equal way. Apple CEO Tim Cook pointed out in a recent statement published on his company’s website that “At Apple, your trust means everything to us. That’s why we respect your privacy and protect it with strong encryption, plus strict policies that govern how all data is handled.”

Cook emphasized that he wants it to “be absolutely clear that we have never worked with any government agency from any country to create a backdoor in any of our products or services. We have also never allowed access to our servers. And we never will.” I guess all this emphasis was needed after the numerous times Apple’s privacy policies have been criticized this year.

Back to Google’s announcement, though, it’s great to see that the privacy tools required for data encryption will no longer needed to be activated by users, and will become a default feature of Android Lollipop or Lion, or whatever its delicious name is going to be.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Privat-OS running Blackphone that keeps NSA at bay, and Boeing Black, the self-destructing smartphone James Bond would use.