NOTES — ZERO-KNOWLEDGE NOTES
by Tobin M. Albanese
PORTFOLIO — SPOTLIGHT Wed Nov 20 2024
Project Overview. NOTES-PROJECT is a privacy-first notes application that treats encryption as a default, not an add-on. Every note, attachment, and index entry is encrypted locally before it ever touches a server, and only the minimum metadata required for sync is transmitted. The experience is intentionally simple—open, type, search, tag—while strong cryptography and careful key handling keep content private to the owner. The result is a familiar note-taking workflow with end-to-end security and zero-knowledge guarantees.
Why. Capturing ideas should be fast and portable, but it shouldn’t compromise privacy. NOTES-PROJECT aims to make strong security feel invisible: it works offline on a flight or in a dead zone, then safely syncs when a connection returns. Whether the content is a personal journal or sensitive meeting minutes, the system assumes untrusted networks and honest-but-curious servers, so plaintext never leaves the device and decryption keys never reside on the backend.
How it Works. Notes live in encrypted notebooks that synchronize across devices using conflict-tolerant data structures (CRDT/OT) so edits from multiple places merge predictably. Client apps handle key generation, wrapping, and encryption on the device; servers store ciphertext blobs and lightweight sync state. When two edits collide, the app preserves intent and offers a clear, local resolution view rather than dropping content or exposing it server-side for reconciliation.
Editing & Organization. The editor supports rich text, markdown-style shortcuts, attachments, and inline media, with tagging and fast, local-first search. Notes can be grouped into notebooks or filtered across tags and dates. Previews render client-side so no plaintext or thumbnails are generated on the server. Export flows produce encrypted backups by default, with optional client-side decrypt when a readable archive is required.
Privacy & Sharing. The architecture is zero-knowledge: servers see ciphertext only. When collaboration is needed, owners grant access by sharing keys—either out-of-band or via time-boxed link keys—so recipients decrypt locally and the service never gains read capability. All significant actions—new share, revoked key, device enrollment—are recorded as signed events, creating a tamper-evident activity history that can be reviewed offline.
Extensibility. NOTES-PROJECT exposes guarded plugin hooks for templates, task extraction, and integrations while maintaining the same trust boundaries: plugins operate on decrypted content within the client sandbox and never transmit plaintext externally without explicit user intent. Over time, the plugin surface will grow to include importers, exporters, and automations that keep the security model intact.
Getting Started. Install the desktop or mobile client, create a notebook, and enroll your devices. From that moment, keystrokes are encrypted on-device, synchronized as ciphertext, and instantly searchable locally. If you choose to share, the app guides you through key delivery so collaborators can decrypt on their own devices without changing the zero-knowledge posture of the service.