“Prism” and data protection: Your questions answered

Concerned customers

Recent world events have focused everyone very sharply on the topic of data security. I refer here to the “Prism” program from the NSA in the USA. Revelations regarding the interception and reading of private mails, phone calls and videos shocked the general public. It was then revealed that this practice had also been adopted in other countries, with similar programs being used in the UK for example.

As a result, many private individuals and companies are now wondering just how they can protect their data from unwanted access, and not just by Government institutions but more commonly by malicious software that criminals stealthily install on computers to extract information. We at O&O are seeing a substantial increase in questions from concerned customers asking how they can protect their data against such unwanted access.

The only methods to protect your data against spies

One answer is to be found in our O&O Complete Protection. From recovering deleted items to encrypting data in Backups, to finally deleting data once it has been finished with or encrypted, we can help. Making regular backups of your data with our O&O DiskImage program and then encrypting this data in effect puts your data in a safe. You can access, it but no one else can.

Be on the truly safe side. Choose O&O Complete Protection.

Another prime example of how you can truly stop data being spied upon is O&O SafeErase. Many people believe data is deleted once it is put in the recycle bin in Windows or a partition is formatted – this is not the case! This data can easily be recovered using a program like our very own O&O DiskRecovery. When you have finished with data or have it encrypted in a backup or image, the only genuine way to stop it being read afterwards is to delete it with O&O SafeErase. The US Department of Defense itself and the BSI in Germany use this type of technology which includes the Gutmann method. O&O SafeErase essentially overwrites data so many times that it can never be accessed or read gain.

Complete Protection step-by-step

With O&O Complete Protection you can

  1. recover lost or deleted data with O&O DiskRecovery,
  2. Encrypt your data into a backup or image for secure storage with O&O DiskImage, and
  3. Delete finished-with data so securely that it can never be read with O&O SafeErase.

If you are an administrator or technician, you can do all of this and much more with just one Admin Kit: O&O BlueCon.

Beware the dangers of exchanging data on the internet

Even the very best in data protection offered by O&O Complete Protection cannot help your PC if you transfer your data unencrypted over the Internet. It is exactly there where programs like “Prism” intercept and evaluate data. Please bear this in mind if you send confidential documents and information over unencrypted e-mails. The same applies if you save data in the cloud using services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft SkyDrive or Apple’s iCloud. If this data is not encrypted, it can easily be read by third parties.

Contact us

If you are concerned about the safety of your private and/or business data, then you can read all about our O&O Complete Protection program online or simply contact us. We have the solutions to protect you, your family and your business data from unauthorized access.

Jim Harrison has a very broad sales and account management background, having previously been employed by various international companies in both senior sales and customer service roles. He joined O&O Software in March, 2006 in a sales and localization capacity, and having quickly recognized the potential for O&O Software worldwide, he was appointed Director of Sales International in 2008. Jim and his team focus on developing long-term, strategic partnerships in order to bring the O&O brand and product range to more and more international markets. Developing primarily the European, North American and Asian markets, his aim is quite clear: to have an O&O product installed on every computer, worldwide!