Wuala and cryptographic Snake Oil

A very interesting post on the free community based online harddisk project Wuala, which also has a pointer to the very good post on 9 signs you might be dealing with cryptographic Snake Oil:

These snake-oil warning signs are neither necessary nor sufficient criteria for separating the good cryptography from the snake oil. Just as there could be insecure products that don't trigger any of these nine warning signs, there could be secure products that look very much like snake oil. But most people don't have the time, patience, or expertise to perform the kind of analysis necessary to make an educated determination. In the absence of a Food-and-Drug-Administration-like body to regulate cryptography, the only thing a reasonable person can do is to use warning signs like these as guides.

All is of course recommended reading :-)

As for Wuala I wouldnt mind giving it a try, I just dont have use for it right now.