All this talk about preserving digital legacies got me thinking: What about the bits we don’t want to leave behind? Y’know, the risqué material? Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.
This seems like a complicated subject. It’s not. There’s some data that’s private, both in terms of content as well as the very fact of its existence, and your viewing of it. Let’s say you look at porn. (You do.) This fact – not just the art porn itself – belongs to you. There’s no need for it to be a discoverable part of your digital life, or, god forbid, your digital legacy. Here’s how to make sure your private collections are in order, and our of sight.
Level One: Obfuscation
Who hasn’t created a folder called “Business” only to fill it with an entirely differently kind of business? It’s a hallowed tradition, enjoyed by nearly everyone who’s used a computer in the last 20 years. And as ridiculous and inept as it sounds, it probably worked – then.
There was a time when hiding a folder deep within an operating system’s file structure actually hid it. Family members and spouses never had a reason to explore C:/Windows/System32, much less the “Nrop” folder you cunningly stashed there. And unless anyone went out of their way to search for incriminating content, it just wouldn’t come up.
Today, things are different. Both major OSes have deeply integrated and everpresent search features – Spotlight in OS X and Start menu search in Windows 7 – which bring the depths of your file system bubbling to the surface with alarming ease and frequency. They prioritise file types over file locations, so your buried videos are just about as discoverable as if they were stored your “My Videos” folder. As far as hiding your shit, and keeping your bereaved family from discovering your bizarre-but-harmless-but-still-pretty-bizarre video collection, this offers only the slightest protection.
The section age-old variation on pornfuscation is the trusty file rename. Here’s how it goes: Save your files, change their names to something innocuous, and switch their file extensions to something inscrutable. LadiesEatingFriedPigsFeetInLingerie.avi becomes lefpfil.dat. And it helps to sew together a little cipher, too. Something like:
.avi=.dat
.mpeg=.dll
.mp4=.lib
.jpg=.docx
While this will probably accomplish your goals with almost no initial effort, it’s pretty unwieldy in the long term, and far from failsafe.
Level 2: Encryption
The word “encryption” evokes spy films, shady government agencies and more than anything, nerds. But here’s the thing: It’s actually super easy. It’s also nearly 100 per cent effective, unless someone very serious is looking very seriously for something seriously incriminating on your computer, in which case I probably don’t want to help you out anyway. So!
Mac OS X: Creating a password-protected archive is your best option here. It’s dead simple, consolidates your files, and puts your stuff one extra layer of abstraction further away from search indices and the like. To make a passworded .DMG file (an image/archive file that you can open with a simple click) from an existing folder, just do this:
• Open Disk Utility (Spotlight search Disk Utility)
• File>New>Disk Image from Folder
• Select the folder, click Image
• Select encryption (128-bit AES will do)
• Choose a unique password
And that’s it! Now you have a whateveryouwant.dmg file that can’t be viewed, opened or edited by anyone but yourself. Your very own little lockable porn capsule! (Ugh.)
Windows
To create a password-protected archive in Windows Vista or 7, you’ll want to download a third-party archive utility, like WinZip or WinRAR. And by like WinZip or WinRAR, I mean just download PeaZip. It’s free, and better than the software you’re used to. Then:
• Open PeaZip
• File>Create Archive
• Select the files you want in the archive
• Click the Lock icon under the Output selector
• Select “Encrypt Also File Names”
• Select archive type “PEA” (the fact that you’re using this program’s proprietary format, as opposed to something like ZIP, means that it’ll be even less identifiable as, well, what it is.)
And there you go.
Level 3: Liquidation
Seriously, people, stop storing incriminating material on your computer. You’re already getting this stuff from the internet, so just leave it on the internet. Stream videos online, and look at pictures without downloading them. It’s easy.
Firefox, Chrome, Safari and even Internet Explorer have private browsing modes, which don’t accumulate history, cookies, or local caches of any kind. Use them. Your digital self will thank you.
If you have more tips and tools to share, please drop some links in the comments-your feedback is hugely important to our How To guides. And if you have any topics you’d like to see covered here, please let me know. Happy secret-keeping, folks!
ben
March 21, 2010 at 4:07 PM
this really helps :)
Report PermalinkHugh Van Weeren
March 21, 2010 at 4:40 PM
haha, you can also hide them with terminal on a mac, but i wouldn’t recommend it. my friend KILLED his computer when he accidentally deleted something important
Report PermalinkVeagor
March 21, 2010 at 7:53 PM
Wow, looking at all of these ways actually make me want to download some “Nrop” and give my laptop to my brother or a friend for a day.
Report Permalinkjason
March 21, 2010 at 8:10 PM
in osx, right click the folder in question and choose ” get info”.
right down the bottom of that window are the sharing options, if you change the settings to “write only” and “no access” for everyone, it will ask you for your admin password. from now on anyone wanting to access that folder will need to go into ” get info” and change the settings, but only if they know the admin password..
works a treat
Report PermalinkGregory Opera
March 21, 2010 at 9:55 PM
I use TrueCrypt because not only does it support a VERY high level of encryption, but it supports “hidden” volumes!
Basically there’s two “virtual disks” (volumes) created – one is made visible when I enter password “A”, the other when I enter password “B”.
If the wife ever comes looking, I’ll just enter the password for first “virtual disk” (outer volume) and all she’ll see is a few pictures of chicks in bikinis…
If I enter my OTHER password however, then the “hidden” virtual disk (inner volume) is made available and that, well that’s a pretty BIG collection that’s definitely not for her eyes!
Check out TrueCrypt for Microsoft’s Windows, Linux and Apple’s Mac OS X here (it’s free):
Report Permalinkhttp://www.truecrypt.org/
Foreplay
March 22, 2010 at 12:57 AM
I still find it hard to hide a 4.2 terabyte zip file.
Report PermalinkSean
March 22, 2010 at 9:52 AM
lol,
No but realy you should proably get yourself checked out.
Report Permalinkmatt
March 22, 2010 at 1:30 AM
that chrome warning is awesome.
in windows, the “Recent Documents” link in the start menu has always been the Achilles heel of even the most thorough obfuscatory.
Report PermalinkSam
March 22, 2010 at 9:10 AM
Or you could just get a wife/girlfriend that doesn’t really care what you look at (and yes, they do exist, I’m with one).
Report PermalinkRowan
March 22, 2010 at 11:35 AM
Yeah I’m with you Sam ;)
Report PermalinkBob
March 22, 2010 at 1:30 PM
Oh? I’ll take one then thanks.
Report Permalinkricho
March 22, 2010 at 10:29 AM
mac osx: terminal
Report Permalinkmkdir (then a space)(drag pron folder here & add a period before the folder name) return.
command+shift+g in a window where the folder is type “.pron” and you never need to worry about anyone finding your ahem “files” again.
Will Jones
March 22, 2010 at 11:17 AM
Mac OSX stores internet history in Library>Preferences>Macromedia>Flash player…..
Report Permalinkdon’t forget to shred that…
Kalem
March 22, 2010 at 3:10 PM
Or just do what the “others” do and save everything on a flash drive.
Report PermalinkSam
March 22, 2010 at 4:33 PM
Your collection fits on a flash drive?
Report Permalinkdan
March 23, 2010 at 12:53 PM
another classic is the hidden folder option in the properties!
Report PermalinkAdrian
March 23, 2010 at 2:26 PM
… Hide in plane sight … the comp that has the pr0n on it, is just a gaming rig, so there’s nothing overly important on it, and the wife knows not to look.
She has been forewarned.
Report Permalinkglebeboi
March 24, 2010 at 3:50 AM
@sam
Your collection fits on a flash drive?
LOL hahhahahahahahahha
Report PermalinkAJ Lazaro
March 24, 2010 at 9:14 AM
get your own computer and don’t share so you can keep your porn folder on ur desktop …….
Report PermalinkMacKat
March 25, 2010 at 9:25 AM
If you’re a Terminal power-user in Mac OS X, just put a period in front of a directory name. In the Finder, create a new folder, and name it “.newfolder”. The Finder will warn you that folders with a dot in front of them are specifically for the system, but do it anyway. Then, using the Terminal, or the Finder’s “Go…” option, navigate to your hidden folder. Now be careful, if you have hidden folders visible, through Secrets or Hide unHide, then they’ll be able to see it. Nestle it in some folders, and make it hidden – it’s worked for me for quite some time now. :)
Report PermalinkRobbie Spencer
April 28, 2010 at 6:00 PM
It may not be much use (after having discovered these other methods) but I create a FREE command line application for encrypting files. It’s currently available for Mac OS 10.6.2 and above and Windows. Check it out at http://www.users.on.net/~robert.spencer/software/ if you’re interested.
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