v2.3.6

Encrypt.ink Whitepaper

Version 1.0 Date: June 6, 2025

Abstract

Encrypt.ink is a free, open-source, client-side web application leveraging cutting-edge cryptography and Web3 integration to empower individuals with secure, private, and user-controlled file encryption and future decentralized data hosting. Unlike traditional services, Encrypt.ink operates entirely in the browser with no backend servers handling user data, ensuring maximum privacy. This whitepaper outlines the platform's architecture, functionality, the strategic role of the $INK utility token in incentivizing and powering a decentralized file hosting and distribution network, our immediate 3-month post-launch roadmap focusing on building this network, a conceptual reward mechanism for contributors, and our vision for future innovations including privacy-preserving AI.

Introduction
The Problem: Centralized Data & Privacy Erosion
The Encrypt.ink Solution
- 3.1. Core Principles
- 3.2. Security Architecture
- 3.3. Privacy Guarantee
Platform Functionality
- 4.1. Client-Side Encryption & Decryption
- 4.2. Asymmetric Key Encryption
- 4.3. Wallet-Based Encryption (Web3 Integration)
The $INK Utility Token
- 5.1. Purpose & Role in the Ecosystem
- 5.2. Core Utility: Earn, Pay, Govern
- 5.3. Token Launch Details (Pump.fun)
- 5.4. Why Buy & Hold $INK?
Roadmap
- 6.1. Phase 1: Core Infrastructure (Completed)
- 6.2. Phase 2: $INK Token Launch (Starting June 9, 2025)
- 6.3. 3-Month Post-Launch Production Roadmap (Focus on Phase 3 Build-Out)
- 6.4. Phase 3: Decentralized File Hosting (Targeting Post-3 Month Roadmap)
- 6.5. Phase 4: Torrent-like File Distribution (EITP) (Longer Term)
The $INK Shard Host Program (Conceptual Reward Mechanism)
Future Vision: Exploring Privacy-Preserving AI
Compliance & Ethics
Conclusion
Disclaimer

1. Introduction

In the digital age, our personal and professional lives are increasingly intertwined with data. Yet, the vast majority of this data resides on centralized servers controlled by third parties. This centralization creates inherent vulnerabilities: susceptibility to data breaches, censorship, surveillance, and a fundamental lack of user control over their own information. Encrypt.ink was born out of the need for a truly user-centric approach to data security and privacy in the era of the decentralized web (Web3). We believe that individuals should have absolute sovereignty over their digital assets, starting with the fundamental ability to encrypt and protect their files securely and privately.

2. The Problem: Centralized Data & Privacy Erosion

Traditional file storage and sharing often rely on cloud services where encryption, if offered, is often performed server-side with keys potentially accessible by the provider. This "trust us" model is fundamentally incompatible with the principles of privacy and decentralization. Users are forced to relinquish control and trust intermediaries with their most sensitive data, making them vulnerable to policy changes, data requests from authorities, or malicious attacks on centralized infrastructure. Furthermore, the ability to easily censor or restrict access to files stored centrally poses a significant threat to free expression and data autonomy.

3. The Encrypt.ink Solution

Encrypt.ink is a direct response to these challenges. We provide a robust, accessible, and trustless platform for file encryption and decryption, built from the ground up to prioritize user privacy and control.

3.1. Core Principles

Client-Side Everything: All cryptographic operations occur locally within the user's browser. No data, passwords, keys, or files are ever uploaded to Encrypt.ink servers (because there are none handling user data).
Zero Knowledge: We have no knowledge of the files being encrypted, the keys used, or the data contained within them.
Web3-Native: Designed to integrate seamlessly with decentralized technologies and wallets, aligning with the ethos of user ownership and control.
Open Source: The codebase is fully open-source, allowing for community audits, contributions, and independent verification of our security and privacy claims.
Free & Accessible: Providing powerful encryption tools freely to everyone.

3.2. Security Architecture

Encrypt.ink utilizes a modern and battle-tested cryptographic stack powered by the libsodium.js library, a high-quality, easy-to-use cryptographic library.

Symmetric Encryption: XChaCha20-Poly1305 is used for encrypting the file content itself. This is an authenticated encryption algorithm providing both confidentiality (privacy) and integrity (protection against tampering). Its extended nonce makes it highly suitable for stream encryption and handling large files securely.
Password-Based Key Derivation: Argon2id (specifically version 1.3) is employed for deriving strong encryption keys from user-provided passwords. Argon2id is the winner of the Password Hashing Competition and is designed to be highly resistant to brute-force and dictionary attacks, especially on hardware.
Asymmetric Cryptography: X25519 is utilized for secure and efficient elliptic-curve key exchange, enabling encrypted file sharing using public/private key pairs.
Wallet-Based Key Derivation: Leveraging HKDF (HMAC-based Key Derivation Function) with wallet signatures to deterministically derive encryption keys, ensuring high entropy and linking encryption directly to wallet ownership.

All cryptographic operations are performed using the reliable libsodium.js library within the user's browser environment.

3.3. Privacy Guarantee

Our privacy model is fundamental and non-negotiable:

The application runs entirely in your browser with no backend infrastructure that interacts with user data.
No data, passwords, files, metadata, or keys are ever collected, transmitted, or stored by Encrypt.ink.
Everything happens locally on your device.
You retain full custody and control over your data and your keys.
Encrypt.ink is a tool provided for your use; we cannot and do not monitor how it is used.

4. Platform Functionality

Encrypt.ink provides versatile encryption and decryption capabilities designed for ease of use within the browser.

Secure Encryption/Decryption: Encrypt and decrypt single or multiple files using strong cryptographic algorithms.
Password-Based Encryption: Encrypt files using a password, with the key securely derived using Argon2id.
Asymmetric Key Encryption: Encrypt files using the recipient's public key and the sender's private key (leveraging X25519 key exchange for authenticated encryption), ensuring only the intended recipient can decrypt.
Wallet-Based Encryption (Web3 Integration): Revolutionizing encryption by using your Web3 wallet signature as the source for a deterministic encryption key (derived via HKDF). This allows for password-less encryption tied to wallet ownership, leveraging hardware wallet security and providing non-repudiation. Supported wallets include popular Solana wallets like Phantom, Solflare, Glow, Torus, and Ledger.
Key Management: Generate strong, random passwords and asymmetric key pairs (X25519) client-side.
File Handling: Efficiently handle large files using streaming, processing data in chunks without loading the entire file into memory.
Self-Hosting: The open-source nature allows anyone to easily self-host the Encrypt.ink web application using npm or Docker, providing an additional layer of trust and autonomy.

5. The $INK Utility Token

While Encrypt.ink provides powerful client-side encryption, building a truly decentralized ecosystem requires a mechanism to incentivize participation, manage resources, and facilitate governance. The $INK token is this mechanism – the utility layer powering the future decentralized network.

5.1. Purpose & Role in the Ecosystem

The $INK token is designed to align incentives between users, developers, and future network contributors (like node operators). It is essential for:

Incentivizing Decentralized Infrastructure: Rewarding participants who contribute resources (storage, bandwidth) to the decentralized network.
Facilitating Value Exchange: Acting as the currency for accessing decentralized services within the ecosystem.
Enabling Community Governance: Giving token holders a voice in the protocol's evolution.

5.2. Core Utility: Earn, Pay, Govern

The primary utilities of $INK will become active as the decentralized network phases (3 and 4) are rolled out:

Earn: Users will be able to earn $INK tokens by participating in the network, specifically by running nodes and hosting encrypted file shards (detailed in Section 7).
Pay: $INK will be the required token to pay for optional decentralized persistent storage of encrypted files on the network.
Govern: $INK holders will have the ability to propose and vote on key decisions regarding network parameters, protocol upgrades, feature prioritization, and the allocation of community resources.

5.3. Token Launch Details (Pump.fun)

The $INK token will be launched on June 9, 2025, on the Pump.fun platform.

Platform Choice: Pump.fun was chosen for its accessibility and community-focused launch mechanism, allowing for a fair distribution to early supporters.
Allocation: A key principle of the $INK launch is fairness and decentralization from day one. The token allocation is structured as follows:
- 95% Public Sale: Available for the community to acquire on Pump.fun.
- 5% Team Allocation: Vested over a period to ensure long-term alignment with the project's success (specific vesting schedule details will be communicated separately). This allocation ensures that the vast majority of tokens are in the hands of the community from the outset.

5.4. Why Buy & Hold $INK?

Acquiring $INK, particularly from the launch, is an opportunity to participate in and directly benefit from the growth of a privacy-focused, decentralized infrastructure project.

Fair & Community-Centric Launch: Participate in a launch where 95% of tokens are accessible to the public.
Direct Access to Future Utility: Secure the token required to earn rewards as a network host and pay for decentralized storage as these features are built and released.
Immediate Path to Earning Potential: Position yourself to participate in the $INK Shard Host Program soon after launch as development progresses on Phase 3.
Influence and Ownership: Gain governance rights to help steer the project's future development and ensure it remains aligned with user needs and decentralized principles.
Support the Privacy Mission: Directly contribute to the development and expansion of a platform dedicated to user privacy and data sovereignty in Web3.
Anticipation of Extended Utility: Be positioned to benefit from potential future utility expansions in Phase 4 (EITP) and beyond (e.g., AI integration related services).

6. Roadmap

The Encrypt.ink roadmap is a phased approach to building a comprehensive decentralized file encryption and distribution ecosystem.

6.1. Phase 1: Core Infrastructure (Completed)

Development and release of the core client-side, in-browser file encryption and decryption application, including password-based, asymmetric key, and wallet-based encryption methods. Focus on security architecture, privacy guarantee, and efficient large file handling.

6.2. Phase 2: $INK Token Launch (Starting June 9, 2025)

Successful launch of the $INK utility token on Pump.fun with a 95% public sale allocation. Focus on establishing the token's presence and preparing the community for its upcoming utility.

6.3. 3-Month Post-Launch Production Roadmap (Focus on Phase 3 Initial Build)

Immediately following the $INK launch, the team will embark on a focused 3-month development sprint to build the foundation for Decentralized File Hosting.

Month 1: Core Infrastructure & Node Foundation (Approx. June 9 - July 9): Design the architecture for the decentralized hosting network, develop core components of the Encrypt.ink Node Software (ENS), implement client-side file sharding logic, and set up the internal testing environment.
Month 2: Network Logic & Initial Utility Integration (Approx. July 7 - August 6): Refine ENS functionality, develop shard retrieval mechanisms, design and begin implementation of the $INK Shard Host Program mechanics (reward calculation), and integrate initial $INK payment logic for storage access in the test environment.
Month 3: Integration, UI, & Private Alpha Preparation (Approx. August 4 - September 7): Integrate ENS functionality into the main client app, build user interfaces for decentralized storage management and node status/earnings, prepare documentation, and select participants for a private alpha test of the Decentralized File Hosting functionality.

6.4. Phase 3: Decentralized File Hosting (Targeting Post-3 Month Roadmap)

Building upon the foundation laid in the initial 3-month period, this phase involves developing full peer-to-peer encrypted file distribution using protocols like IPFS, supporting the hosting of encrypted file parts ("shards") across a decentralized node network. This is where the earning and paying utilities of $INK become fully functional and available to the wider community.

6.5. Phase 4: Torrent-like File Distribution (EITP) (Longer Term)

Development and launch of the Encrypt.ink Torrent Protocol (EITP) for secure and efficient decentralized distribution of encrypted data swarms, enhancing speed and resilience for larger files and wider distribution.

7. The $INK Shard Host Program (Conceptual Reward Mechanism)

A core component of Phase 3 is the $INK Shard Host Program, designed to incentivize community members to contribute resources to the decentralized network.

Mechanism: Individuals run the open-source Encrypt.ink Node Software (ENS) on their devices, dedicating storage space and bandwidth to store and serve encrypted file shards.
Rewards: Node operators will earn $INK tokens based on their contribution. Key metrics considered will include:
- Amount of storage allocated and utilized for valid shards.
- Node uptime and availability.
- Bandwidth contributed (data served).
- (Potentially) Successful participation in data audits.
Incentive: The program creates a direct financial incentive in $INK for users to provide the decentralized infrastructure necessary for file hosting, ensuring a robust and distributed network.
Participation: Participation may require holding or staking a minimum amount of $INK to align incentives and secure the network.

8. Future Vision: Exploring Privacy-Preserving AI

Looking ahead, Encrypt.ink is committed to exploring innovative technologies that can enhance the platform's capabilities while strictly adhering to our privacy principles. One promising area is the integration of Artificial Intelligence, but only in ways that safeguard user data.

Our research focuses on:

Client-Side or Decentralized AI: Utilizing AI models that run locally in the user's browser or across the decentralized network without ever requiring access to unencrypted user data or sending sensitive information to centralized AI services.
Potential Applications (Conceptual):
- Optimizing file processing (sharding, distribution strategy) based on local resources or network conditions.
- Enhancing network routing and load balancing for decentralized data retrieval.
- Developing client-side anomaly detection for increased local security.
Future $INK Utility: If future AI features require access to decentralized computing power or specialized AI models within the network, $INK could potentially evolve to incentivize nodes providing these services or grant access to these advanced functionalities, further expanding the token's utility.

9. Compliance & Ethics

Encrypt.ink provides a powerful tool for encryption. It is essential to understand that:

Encrypt.ink is a tool. It does not and cannot monitor how it is used.
We are committed to providing clear warnings against potential misuse of encryption technology.
We promote open access to strong encryption for everyone as a fundamental right.
We maintain open-source transparency to allow anyone to verify the code and its security.
Users are responsible for complying with all applicable laws and ethical standards when using Encrypt.ink.

10. Conclusion

Encrypt.ink stands at the intersection of cutting-edge cryptography, user-centric design, and decentralized technology. By providing a free, open-source, client-side application for secure file encryption and building a roadmap towards decentralized hosting and distribution fueled by the $INK utility token, we empower individuals to take back control of their data.

The launch of $INK on Pump.fun on June 9, 2025, with its commitment to a 95% public sale, is the critical step that enables our transition to a decentralized network. The subsequent 3-month roadmap is a focused effort to build the foundational elements of this network, directly activating the core earning and paying utilities of $INK. By joining the Encrypt.ink community and acquiring $INK, you are not just using a tool; you are participating in building the essential privacy infrastructure for the decentralized internet. Our future vision, including the exploration of privacy-preserving AI, ensures that Encrypt.ink will continue to evolve, providing users with the most advanced tools to encrypt locally, share globally, and own their data.

11. Disclaimer

This whitepaper is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. The $INK token is a utility token designed to power the Encrypt.ink ecosystem. The value of $INK is subject to market forces and carries significant risk. There is no guarantee of profits or specific value. Forward-looking statements in this whitepaper are based on current expectations and assumptions and are subject to change. The development roadmap is subject to change based on technical feasibility, resources, and other factors. Users should conduct their own research and consult with professional advisors before making any financial decisions.