Swiss-Hungarian cloud encryption company Tresorit has just announced a beta of its very own free file sharing service.
Meant to compete with the likes of WeTransfer, Tresorit Send is positioned as a secure alternative due to its use of end-to-end encryption, coupled with the company’s zero-knowledge approach to authentication. The last point in particular is reflected in the way Send handles the files you share, as the link is only generated once, but not emailed or sent to the user through any other channels. Furthermore, the encryption keys are stored within the link itself, so the firm cannot access the contents, only those who have the link.
Capped at 5GB per transfer, the free service allows you to also password protect your files and even get an email every time your shared file is opened. Keep in mind, this does not mean your link is visible; it merely serves as an alert of the file being accessed. A model of the email you"d receive can be seen below.
The alert is important to highlight due to way in which files are handled. Because Send can be used without the need to register – requiring just an email address to know where to send the file opening alerts -, your shared documents, pictures, etc., self-destruct seven days after the secure sharing link was created or after said files have been downloaded 10 times. You also have the ability to revoke access via single click if a certain file was sent to the wrong person.
If you click the ‘Open Admin Link’ at the bottom of the email, you are presented with this:
You can toggle email alerts on or off, see how many times the link has already been opened, and as previously mentioned, revoke said link.
Of the service’s launch, CEO & founder of Tresorit, István Lám, had this to say:
“Our customers value the security we provide and want their clients, partners, and suppliers to share documents in the same secure way. Tresorit Send makes it possible for anyone, without a Tresorit account and without registration, to send sensitive files securely and in a controlled manner. It facilitates workflow as businesses receive notifications when partners or clients open the shared files.”
Even though file opening alerts and password protection are offered for free, this newest offering also integrates with the company’s existing - paid - encrypted cloud storage options. The recently launched ‘access logs’ feature allows customers of the paid plan to not only change the open limit and expiry date mentioned earlier, but also to track information like the email address, IP address, and even platform used to open the items that have been shared.
The aforementioned link tracking capabilities are available to both enterprise and individual users, and are fully accessible during the 14-day free trial of the service.
As far as platforms are concerned, Tresorit Send is available on the web and via a Chrome extension. Currently, integration with Gmail, Outlook.com, and encrypted email services is high on the list of priorities, followed by availability of the extension for other browsers.