Frequently asked questions

Space is a platform file storage, sharing, and collaboration platform that is user-controlled, censorship resistant, and built on the open web. It truly is your space, where you can protect your files, build your projects, and share without having to compromise your privacy by using cloud platforms that spy, and collect data from your files and activity.

Space is built so that users own the experience, files, and their accounts exclusively. We can’t access your files, or their encryption keys, and we can’t access your account’s credentials/keys. What’s more, your storage is not bound to us and you can access it from any other compatible interface other than Space if you wish. It’s yours!

Yes, the platform is built from the ground up to be privacy-first. The user’s information, their files, and interactions across the platform are end-to-end encrypted, and P2P, being the user the only one with access to the keys that protect them. Space is open source as well, which makes it possible to review our code to verify these claims.

It means it utilizes protocols like IPFS, Textile, Ethereum, Torus, and Filecoin (in the future), which compose part of the core technologies of the Web 3.0. The distributed web focuses on creating online experiences that are not centralized or under control of a single entity (us!), giving ownership and control of the data to users (you!)

Contrary to cloud storage, which uses centralized servers, Space’s online backups are stored on distributed Space nodes (which include an IPFS and Textile node) and Filecoin. These can only be accessed and decrypted by users. On Space’s V1, we run the Space nodes to ensure availability, but in the future we will offer decentralized options, such as users running their own nodes. Filecoin acts as a secondary and redundant backup.

Aside from your main online storage in Space nodes, we also backup all your files automatically to Filecoin as a redundancy layer. Filecoin is a decentralized storage network that doesn't depend on Space, which means users have the certainty that their files don't depend entirely on our infrastructure. On V1, files are archived in bulk on Filecoin by us. In V2, files will be archived separately for users to be able to retrieve them individually.

Currently you can pay for Space using debit and credit cards (American Express, Visa, Mastercard, Discover) or crypto (ETH, DAI, USDC, WBTC, WFIL). When you do so, you add a balance to your account that is consumed monthly. We recommend if paying with crypto that you always add enough  for several months at a time.

During your experience, we will notify you as your balance starts to decrease and give you opportunities to add more before you reach its end. If you reach the end of your balance upon a renewal date, your files will be removed from Space’s backups after 30 days.

Bandwidth is consumed when you download, upload, edit, or share a file on Space.

Yes, storage expands automatically as you cross the threshold limit of the Pro plan and so does bandwidth. It is charged as an extra fee based on the extra storage and bandwidth usage at the end of each month.

Before storing your files, Space encrypts your files with AES-256, generating a random key that is stored in a Textile Thread. Furthermore, your files are stored in a Textile/IPFS Bucket, which aside from having their specific access keys, also have an access control list to filter who can make file requests.

We assign an Ethereum key to every user. If you opt for seamless logins, such as social logins or email magic links, your key will be sharded and stored in Torus’ non-custodial decentralized network for you to retrieve using any of those authentication methods. Alternatively, you can opt to use a crypto wallet such as Metamask to store keys and authenticate. 

No. Space uses private-public key pairs and end-to-end encryption to ensure the user, and the people who they share files with, are the only ones able to access files and see their data. Space doesn’t have access to a user’s private keys, and online backups are user-controlled, meaning Space can’t access or modify them either. 

If you delete a file, it will be sent to your account’s trash bin where you will have a second opportunity to recover it before deleting it permanently. Once you decide the latter, the file is removed from the platform entirely.

You can opt for alternative sign-in recovery options, such as linking your email address, social media account, or Ethereum wallet to Space.

Space doesn’t require personal information to function and only collects what is provided during registration, if you choose to use an email. Other information may be necessary for additional site features, such as email for a support ticket, or payment information for processing.

Space collects anonymous usage information on the website for design improvements. Users can also choose to share anonymous usage information on the platform, to help us improve Space. This is optional, and contains usage patterns, interface interactions, and device characteristics. It doesn’t include any details from files or users, which are encrypted.

Space may use personal data for operational tasks, such as processing a payment or providing platform notifications or service updates if an email is provided. Other circumstances, such as marketing-related communications, are only conducted with prior -and withdrawable - consent.

In Space, users are in full control of their file’s encryption keys, and everything is end-to-end encrypted. This means that only users can decrypt their files and backups, not us, and when they share with someone that file is also encrypted in a way that only allows the recipient to decrypt it. We don’t need to see/decrypt your data to help you manage it.