Every day, users have to handle sensitive data on apps and websites that aren’t guaranteed to use it legitimately. Think for a minute: that keyboard app from an obscure developer can track everything you write, so is it safe? That doesn’t even have to mean developers themselves are ill-intentioned: sometimes they just fail to properly protect your information.
One category of apps that frequently receives personal data is clipboard managers. Copied a credit card number? It’s there. A username, followed by a password? Stored as well. Not to mention personal messages, embarrassing search terms, private pictures… You get it.
Ukrainian developer Vladimir Ikryanov, who makes one such app, decided to take an unusual measure about that issue. Vladimir’s ClipBook clipboard manager, a commercial app, has just been open-sourced by its creator.
Open-Source for Transparency and Trust
In a Reddit post, Vladimir said the decision was made as a way of establishing trust with ClipBook’s users. He considers that the app’s code can be audited and be deemed clear of any irregularities if it’s open to scrutiny.
“With closed-source apps, you have to take the developer’s word for it. As a software engineer, I don’t like that”, wrote Vladimir. “Anyone can inspect the [ClipBook] source code, verify that data stays local and never leaves the user’s device”, he adds.
ClipBook Clipboard Manager Is Both Commercial and Open Source
ClipBook, however, remains commercial. It’s available for purchase on the app’s website. Lifetime licenses cost between $10 (single user) and $30 (five devices).
Vladimir points out that he has costs like hosting, development tools, and his own payment for the work. Anyone with the proper software and knowledge can now build ClipBook from source, though.
According to him, while people can have the app for free “or even rebrand and sell it”, he’s not worried. “The trade-off is worth it”, Vladimir says.
Other Reddit users commended the developer’s decision. In addition to open-sourcing ClipBook, Vladimir mentioned he wanted to provide network logs showing all data remains on-device. About half an hour later, another Redditor posted Little Snitch screenshots confirming exactly that. The only connection request made is to check for updates, and the app works just fine without any internet permissions.
Commercial Open Source Apps Are Viable
The idea of maintaining an open-source app that, at the same time, is commercial, may seem counterintuitive. However, both conditions can coexist without issues.
One example is the virtual KVM software Synergy. While Synergy itself is sold between $30 to $40, building it from source is relatively easy. The open-source version, Deskflow, isn’t exactly the same as the commercial app. However, Synergy sponsors Deskflow development with both code and financial support.
A similar relationship exists between the local-based file-sharing app SyncThing and Möbius Sync. SyncThing is fully open source and supports dozens of OSes (counting different Linux distributions). Möbius Sync, on the other hand, is a closed-source version of SyncThing available on iOS. Pickup Infinity, the company that develops Möbius Sync, also sponsors the development of SyncThing.
Back in December, Vladimir had already announced the change in ClipBook’s blog. You can check the app’s source code and download it on the project’s GitHub page.