Dependecy on the Evernote servers. [Premium Also] => Privacy.

[SpiderNote 0]

Hey evernoters!
This program is obviously legendary.
BUT
As a person that values privacy, I wouldn't like to be dependent on the Evernote servers in order to pass on notes from my Android to a PC (for example).
The reason is simple. The new overhyped PC game "Watch Dogs" actually represent a very real current state of events. As things begin to turn more and more digitial, we as "casual" users
of such services have to trust a ridiculous amount of very personal information into a company / organization. Isn't that dangerous?
What if a user decides upon running for a political / millitary position, won't people with enough power be able to hack your account and view years of event, thoughts and ideas, places you have been to and use that to do you ill?
I understand that there are "Terms of Service" but look at what happened with the NSA = the excuse of "he might be suspected of.." by goverments, and hackers that can prey on the information are very real and I would not use the service with peace of mind as long as this situation continues.

Is there an option to view my notes as physical files on my pc without Evernote? If not, are there any files that can be manually moved via USB to be viewed on a PC without requiring me to send them to the evernote servers?

Thanks ^-^ 

[gazumped 11,713]

Hi.  The question of security has been discussed to death on the forums,  so let's not re-hash it (again) here.  You can use Evernote to store files without their being uploaded to Evernote's servers.  That's called a Local Notebook and it ,  and all it contains,  lives solely on your desktop computer (they aren't available on mobile devices).  If however you want to share those notes with another version of Evernote on another computer or mobile device you are so out of luck. 

 

It might be possible to export a series of notes to ENEX file format on one device and then import them back into Evernote on another,  but that's likely to be a time-consuming and very slow method of networking.  Evernote's main strength is allowing you to see your information via any device that you have handy,  including someone else's computer. 

 

There's no specific caution about the difficulty of plotting global thermonuclear war that way,  but most people keep their more sensitive stuff either encrypted or offline.

[SpiderNote 0]

Hi.  The question of security has been discussed to death on the forums,  so let's not re-hash it (again) here.  You can use Evernote to store files without their being uploaded to Evernote's servers.  That's called a Local Notebook and it ,  and all it contains,  lives solely on your desktop computer (they aren't available on mobile devices).  If however you want to share those notes with another version of Evernote on another computer or mobile device you are so out of luck. 

 

It might be possible to export a series of notes to ENEX file format on one device and then import them back into Evernote on another,  but that's likely to be a time-consuming and very slow method of networking.  Evernote's main strength is allowing you to see your information via any device that you have handy,  including someone else's computer. 

 

There's no specific caution about the difficulty of plotting global thermonuclear war that way,  but most people keep their more sensitive stuff either encrypted or offline.

 

Thank you for the quick reply. Despite being time consuming I would gladly go through the hassle of moving a couple of files from my pc to a phone and vice versa. Was that possibly explored already on the forums? I could buy the premium version if it will allow me the importing of files independently (:

[gazumped 11,713]

No need for the premium version while you try this out - download a free desktop version and install it (you'll need to be connected to set up the account).  Then create a new local notebook to hold your data.  Create some notes.  Use File > Export > to ENEX to export the content of that notebook onto a USB.  Install Evernote on another device with USB connectors,  and File > Import the notes.  (I'm not actually sure if that would work with a tablet with USB's...)

[jbenson2 2,147]

The question of security is an important topic and should be discussed to death on the forum. Recent discussions on Two Factor authentication, SSL, encryption, Heartbeat, TrueCrypt warning, DDOS attacks, etc. are all necessary discussion topics when it comes to the protection of our Evernote content. 

 

Security issues keep raising their ugly head over and over. New counter-measure techniques get developed, but require substantial vetting before final acceptance. This is an issue that will not go away.

 

For Evernote security related subjects, I say... bring it on.

[SpiderNote 0]

No need for the premium version while you try this out - download a free desktop version and install it (you'll need to be connected to set up the account).  Then create a new local notebook to hold your data.  Create some notes.  Use File > Export > to ENEX to export the content of that notebook onto a USB.  Install Evernote on another device with USB connectors,  and File > Import the notes.  (I'm not actually sure if that would work with a tablet with USB's...)

Thanks for the help, while attempting to do so I was prompt with this message:

What I've done was selecting all my notes (ctrl + a) and going over to File->Export

Edit: Never mind, got it to work -> Selecting an "empty" note was causing the problem, it seems.

I'll update as to if I am able to view it on my Android~

Edit 2 : No such option on an Android device, I'll attempt a PC as soon as I get the chance (Maybe I don't have that feature on my Android because I'm still a free user? can someone confirm this?)

At least I know how to backup my stuff independently, that's a good start (:

[gazumped 11,713]

 

The question of security is an important topic and should be discussed to death on the forum. Recent discussions on Two Factor authentication, SSL, encryption, Heartbeat, TrueCrypt warning, DDOS attacks, etc. are all necessary discussion topics when it comes to the protection of our Evernote content. 

 

Security issues keep raising their ugly head over and over. New counter-measure techniques get developed, but require substantial vetting before final acceptance. This is an issue that will not go away.

 

For Evernote security related subjects, I say... bring it on.

 

 

Not diminishing the importance of the topic,  but the wider issues aren't relevant to someone who only wants to use the service offline.  There are already threads running on all the topics you mention.

[gazumped 11,713]

 

No need for the premium version while you try this out - download a free desktop version and install it (you'll need to be connected to set up the account).  Then create a new local notebook to hold your data.  Create some notes.  Use File > Export > to ENEX to export the content of that notebook onto a USB.  Install Evernote on another device with USB connectors,  and File > Import the notes.  (I'm not actually sure if that would work with a tablet with USB's...)

Thanks for the help, while attempting to do so I was prompt with this message:

What I've done was select all my notes (ctrl + a) and going over to File->Export

 

 

Weird.  I just tried that on a test 'free' account and it's fine for me.  Does your note have attachments?  Have you selected more than one note or notebook to export?

[SpiderNote 0]

 

 

No need for the premium version while you try this out - download a free desktop version and install it (you'll need to be connected to set up the account).  Then create a new local notebook to hold your data.  Create some notes.  Use File > Export > to ENEX to export the content of that notebook onto a USB.  Install Evernote on another device with USB connectors,  and File > Import the notes.  (I'm not actually sure if that would work with a tablet with USB's...)

Thanks for the help, while attempting to do so I was prompt with this message:

What I've done was select all my notes (ctrl + a) and going over to File->Export

 

 

Weird.  I just tried that on a test 'free' account and it's fine for me.  Does your note have attachments?  Have you selected more than one note or notebook to export?

 

I have edited that message prior to seeing you responded:

 

 

No need for the premium version while you try this out - download a free desktop version and install it (you'll need to be connected to set up the account).  Then create a new local notebook to hold your data.  Create some notes.  Use File > Export > to ENEX to export the content of that notebook onto a USB.  Install Evernote on another device with USB connectors,  and File > Import the notes.  (I'm not actually sure if that would work with a tablet with USB's...)

Thanks for the help, while attempting to do so I was prompt with this message:

What I've done was selecting all my notes (ctrl + a) and going over to File->Export

Edit: Never mind, got it to work -> Selecting an "empty" note was causing the problem, it seems.

I'll update as to if I am able to view it on my Android~

Edit 2 : No such option on an Android device, I'll attempt a PC as soon as I get the chance (Maybe I don't have that feature on my Android because I'm still a free user? can someone confirm this?)

At least I know how to backup my stuff independently, that's a good start (:

 

[gazumped 11,713]

I did say above somewhere that importing wouldn't work on a mobile device,  and I was unsure about tablets - the thing is they don't have any permanent storage to hold the local notes,  so there's no provision for that type of note in the client.  You should be able to import on another PC - just watch the dialogue boxes as you do so,  you'll have a choice at some point whether or not to add the notes to a synchronised notebook.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,320]

I talk about my views and some solutions for Mac folks on my blog -- we actually have a lot more robust choices than Windows folks do.

http://www.christopher-mayo.com/?p=288

http://www.christopher-mayo.com/?p=1605

The only thing I would change (I need to revise the posts) is to say that VoodooPad is in desperate need of an update, especially on iOS, where it doesn't handle large accounts (at least, not mine) very well. DevonThink has plenty of limitations on iOS, but it actually works better than the reviews let on, and I have been using it for all of my sensitive data (wifi sync on my own network, so no cloud).

How about local notebooks + remote login from a mobile device (as needed)? This gives you enterprise level security, though it is definitely not as convenient as the iOS / Android apps. Until we get encrypted notebooks, I think this is the best way to go with Evernote.

[SpiderNote 0]

I talk about my views and some solutions for Mac folks on my blog -- we actually have a lot more robust choices than Windows folks do.

http://www.christopher-mayo.com/?p=288

http://www.christopher-mayo.com/?p=1605

The only thing I would change (I need to revise the posts) is to say that VoodooPad is in desperate need of an update, especially on iOS, where it doesn't handle large accounts (at least, not mine) very well. DevonThink has plenty of limitations on iOS, but it actually works better than the reviews let on, and I have been using it for all of my sensitive data (wifi sync on my own network, so no cloud).

How about local notebooks + remote login from a mobile device (as needed)? This gives you enterprise level security, though it is definitely not as convenient as the iOS / Android apps. Until we get encrypted notebooks, I think this is the best way to go with Evernote.

Thanks alot, will read.

Can you recommend an app such as evernote without the security risks that can spread across multiple platforms? specifically Android and Windows PC but the more the merrier (:

Evernote is just perfect in its layout, tagging, voice recognition, availability on platforms and since I;m very new to this I haven't got the chance to experience any other programs

[Hmm 0]

Ok, for us dumb dumbs who haven't followed the security threads or spent much time in the forum here. What of the security? I just got an email that this forum has been hacked and my email was divulged to the hackers.

 

If the forum can be hacked, why not our Evernote account/servers?

[GrumpyMonkey 4,320]

Evernote is pretty secure if you enable two-factor authentication and are willing to accept the relatively unlikely occurrence of a rogue employee or hacker (state-sponsored or otherwise) getting into the Evernote databases, where your data is stored unencrypted. Unfortunately, in my case, I am handling the personal data of others (students) and I don't feel like I have the right to expose the data to those risks.

Is there anything else? No. Not that I have used. Certainly nothing even remotely as well-designed or easy to use. As much as I like DevonThink and VoodooPad, they are restricted to the Apple-verse. OneNote is no better in terms of security, and given Microsoft's past willingness (alleged) to give up data, it might even be less secure than Evernote. It is also a pain on any platform besides Windows.

Frankly, the smartest thing for a Windows person to do is to invest in a Surface Pro 3. You get top-level security, mobility, ease of use, local notebooks (not synced to the cloud), and Evernote is basically free (no need to pay for Premium if you are using local notebooks). For the rest of us, there are no easy decisions. I am grudgingly accepting the severe restrictions involved with DevonThink. I don't have reliable Internet access, so I have to have data offline, and I cannot rely on remote login access.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,320]

Ok, for us dumb dumbs who haven't followed the security threads or spent much time in the forum here. What of the security? I just got an email that this forum has been hacked and my email was divulged to the hackers.

 

If the forum can be hacked, why not our Evernote account/servers?

It's complicated. Everything can be hacked (even the NSA, as Snowden demonstrated), and Evernote has been in the past (2013), so that's just a fact of life these days, I am afraid. The question we might want to ask is what has Evernote done since they were hacked in 2013? It seems to me that we have more security with two-factor authentication, better encryption, and various other ways to track access to our accounts, so it is improved. I think it is better than most services I use on the cloud.

For details on the forum hack (actually, only tangentially related to Evernote), you might want to read here.

https://discussion.evernote.com/topic/61752-important-information-regarding-your-discussion-forum-account/page-2#entry285200

[Hmm 0]

For me, 2 factor authentication (I am assuming it is on your device) is simply a PIA. I am not worried about my data on my desktop but that on the Evernote servers. 

 

I didn't know my data is actually not encrypted. That's troubling. If it wasn't for the fact I use both Android and Apple devices, I would use iCloud instead of Evernote. 

 

Looks like I have no choice but to implement 2 factor authentication.  I have too much personal information that I have to protect it.  How does one enable this feature?

[GrumpyMonkey 4,320]

For me, 2 factor authentication (I am assuming it is on your device) is simply a PIA. I am not worried about my data on my desktop but that on the Evernote servers. 

 

I didn't know my data is actually not encrypted. That's troubling. If it wasn't for the fact I use both Android and Apple devices, I would use iCloud instead of Evernote. 

 

Looks like I have no choice but to implement 2 factor authentication.  I have too much personal information that I have to protect it.  How does one enable this feature?

Actually, it is not uncommon to have data encrypted on servers in the cloud, or encrypted but with the company holding the keys (Dropbox). In either case, it is insufficient protection for much of the data I have as well. Go to your account at www.evernote.com to enable two-factor authentication under the "security summary" link.