(Archived) Password protecting an entire notebook

[drmrbrewer 10]

I'd find it reassuring to be able to password protect an entire notebook, so that an added layer of protection is provided for confidential notes. I know you can encrypt text, but this is only (at best) on a per-note basis. Plus, once encrypted, you cannot find the text in a search, which kinda defeats the purpose of evernote for me.

Any enthusiasm for / chance of this?

Mike

[dlamas 0]

There are a couple of old threads regarding this question:

http://forum.evernote.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=6722&p=29277&hilit=encryption#p29277

http://forum.evernote.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=7571&p=28536&hilit=encryption#p28536

In short, we don't plan to add this feature in the foreseeable future.

Divanny

[smartins 1]

Another feature that was present on EN2 and axed from EN3. I don't understand why existing features of EN2 weren't kept and new ones added for EN3. It would be best to just release EN3 as a new product instead of an "evolution".

[engberg 89]

Evernote 2 did not encrypt databases.

Obviously, if you prefer Evernote 2.2, however, you should continue to use it.

[questioner 0]

I use truecrypt for system wide encryption. Just create a container and keep your database in it.

[audiologic 0]

I too really need a full notebook password or simple pin feature. I don't understand why this security thing has to be an all or nothing discussion. To me it seems like this feature is more about simple discretion than about actually encrypting a database.

The current encryption scheme is just fine for truly senserive snippets of info, like a note with a social security number in it. But this just doesn't cut it for people who need completely searchable notes, and just don't want just anyone to glance at the computer screen and see sensetive notes.

Example: I use evernote for work and family and personal ideas. If I'm at work and want to use evernote during a presentation, what happens when I open it? It display all notes from all notebooks showing the newest notes first. That means that very personal letter I was drafting a to a sick family member is now visible to a whole boardroom full of people.

Example 2: a collegue comes to my desk asking about a project i searxh evernote for a keyword. that keyword happens to show up in some personal notes. It seems obvious to me why we need a simple level of security on specific groups of notes, ESP. since no evernote clients support multiple accounts which would be another way to keep people from seeing things you would prefer tobkeep to yourself.

Please reconsider this feature. If encrypting a full notebook database simply makes this unrealistic, then skip the encryption, and just match a password or pin before displaying any notes or including notes on search results (including the note title) when they are in a protected notebook.

[heather 604]

I don't understand the benefit of password protecting your Evernote notebooks within Evernote. If they are passworded - they can't be searched.

If you use an external encryption program, such as Truecrypt, you can protect the entire Evernote installation and it will still be searchable.

[drmrbrewer 10]

It's quite simple really: there are some notes that are confidential, and some that aren't. audiologic gave some very good examples of when it would be useful to have protection for certain notebooks, where encrypting/protecting the entire evernote database wouldn't be of any use whatsoever.

If not per-notebook passwords, just have a "show private notes" option, which prompts for a password when invoked. Then each note would have a "private" checkbox to show whether or not it is private; by default private notes would not show up. That's how Palm memos do it.

Mike

[audiologic 0]

I don't understand the benefit of password protecting your Evernote notebooks within Evernote. If they are passworded - they can't be searched.

If you use an external encryption program, such as Truecrypt, you can protect the entire Evernote installation and it will still be searchable.

Heather,

1. The benefit is to keep evernote from displaying sensetive information ON YOUR MONITOR without you aproving it first.

2. This has nothing to do with encryption. we are not talking about stopping a hacker from copying files. we are talking about stopping someone from viewing your private info just by clicking on the evernote icon. Stop thinking encryption. no more encryption is needed.

3. yes, passworded notebooks can be searched if the notebooks are not encrypted. I am talking about a simple pin or password matching scheme. for example:

- I search for the word "plasma"

- the search finds that the word plasma matches notes in some Protected, and some Unprotected notebooks, since NONE of the notebooks are encrypted.

- a dialog pops up asking "include private notes in search results?"

- I select yes. then i have to enter a pin. the software matches the pin to the one listed with the protected notebook/books.

- all search results are displayed.

- if i had selected no, only unprotected search results would have been displayed.

This sort of privacy mask has been implemented on MANY kinds of software, and web services. This has absolutely NOTHING to do with encryption.

Another benefit to implementing this as simple password or pin-matching scheme - the pin that needs to be matched can be synced across platforms, and on the web service. Meaning you have some simple privacy in place, wheather you are using Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android, or the web.

[ashrust 1]

I agree, being able to protect individual notebooks and/or access to evernote as a whole would be great.

ash

[StarPilot 0]

This is definately a feature that many would benefit from.