
Own-Mailbox, the first 100% confidential mailbox - mrbiber
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1547898916/own-mailbox-the-first-100-confidential-mailbox
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narrowrail
As the only other HNer with more than single-digit karma, I will try to give
an objective overview of the project as I see it (this is taken from their
FAQ):

-the device is €49 during the KS campaign, even though their FAQ says €59. It will be €79 afterwards.

-the HW has USB, HDMI (or is it eSATA?), and ethernet ports (one each), and 16GB of storage. It is based on the Allwinner A13 which as 256MB of memory.

\- it appears they are using kernel version 4.03, though refer to it as Linux
Libre (a phrase which I'm not familiar with, but full source code is
available)

\- DNS will be handled giving everyone a subdomain on omb.one or one can use
their own domain; SSL will be handled using self-generated certs and
Letsencrypt

\- security is handled using GPG with keys being stored on device or
transferred via USB. There is also something they call Private Link Message
(PLM) which is used to communicate with people not using GPG, and appears to
send a one-time-access [SSL] link (either on omb.one or your domain) that
expires after it is accessed or at a specified date; the recipient has the
ability to respond via a web interface. One can also activate a private HTTPS
interface for one-way comms to your specified own-mail account

\- there is some mechanism for P2P backup that requires 70% uptime on the
user's part (remember, msgs are encrypted), but the mechanism for this
functionality is not clear

Overall, I agree with their motivation, and think they have thought out much
of their approaches, but it seems they are slightly confused in their target
market (it is a mix of non-technical and quite technical). I also am not smart
enough to adequately determine the soundness, but it seems quite sound. I
would be interested to read what more technical folks on HN think.

Edit: I would also like to see how this hardware could be used for
communication other than email, like a web-based IRC alternative (or IM).
Gitlab has integrated an interesting project that maybe suitable for this
piece of hardware:
[https://github.com/mattermost/platform](https://github.com/mattermost/platform).

Edit2: I would also like to see this project look at using mailpile rather
than roundcube:
[https://github.com/mailpile/Mailpile](https://github.com/mailpile/Mailpile).

~~~
Loic84500
Their security system is good... That's why some are getting angry now...

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megapatch
This is exactly the kind of project we need these times. I hope this works out
OK for these guys (I am backer #7). I hope it works out for us backers. Also I
hope someone will later make a RaspberryPi image with almost the same
functionality, ready to download and use (but, alas, you have to provide your
own mail domain). Still, this is the right thinking. Email is the one protocol
we easily can have at home, reasonably secure, with all the benefits and
almost no negatives. My peers do not even need to know where the mails go!

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greenyoda
Not sure why these people are spending so much money to develop their own
hardware (40% of total cost) when this software (mail server, PGP) can be run
on many cheap, off-the-shelf systems, like Raspberry Pi.

~~~
ycomb6234
Mainly because it cannot be trusted enough for this kind of application. It is
not Open Hardware. The processor used is very closed, even the data-sheet is
not accessible to the public. (It's very problematic for a device like Own-
Mailbox very sensitive regarding politic.) The Raspberry Pi is provided with
non-free software and the hardware needs non-free driver to work. (Also
problematic.)

Raspberry Pi is bigger and less energy efficient.

On top of that, we don't use it for prices reasons, people have already tried
to sell all-in-the-box devices based on Raspberry Pi and the end up being
expensive.

[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1547898916/own-
mailbox-...](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1547898916/own-mailbox-the-
first-100-confidential-mailbox#project_faq_146547)

------
ycomb6234
“If you spend more on coffee than on IT security, you will be hacked. What’s
more, you deserve to be hacked.

— Richard Clarke

~~~
Gartfield
Ha ha... Good one...

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Marti55
I love this project. I already bought mine.

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gadou
I just Backed it! Hope it will be good!

~~~
HACKDRAV
me too...

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josejuanisaac
AY YO kickstarter wont let me login.

~~~
ycomb6234
Working now

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Gartfield
That's good!

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hasanHH88
Good project

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dardevil91
go go go

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pparent
I am impatient to see the result of this campaign!

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robinmglsk
Love this project!

