At FOSSIndia 2026, a student came up to our booth, grabbed a sticker, and asked, "So how are you different from Google Photos?"
Easy. I could answer that all day.
Then came the next one: "Okay, but how do I know you're actually end-to-end encrypted?"
If Ente weren't open source, that one would've taken me at least three minutes. Instead I just said, "You don't have to take our word for it. You can see it for yourself."
It made my job easier. Phew!
Later I got curious, though. If they went and looked, what would they find?
So I looked into Ente's code. It's on GitHub, open for anyone. I clicked in, scrolled for about ten seconds, and closed the tab. Gibberish. I'm not technical, and I'm guessing a lot of the people asking me that question weren't either.
But that's kind of the point. I don't need to read it. Developers and security researchers can. If the code didn't match what we say, they'd be the first to call it out.
So what can they check?
Whether your photos are really encrypted. They can see if your photos get locked on your phone before they're uploaded, so the company storing them can't open them.
What the app collects. They can see exactly what it asks for, like your contacts or your location, and what it does with it.
Where things go. They can see whether anything quietly gets sent to ad networks, trackers, or anyone else.
And if you're a developer, who can read it? You're in for a treat. You can see exactly how Ente works, check whether we're doing what we say, and even contribute to it. And just like independent security firms like Cure53, you too can audit the code and cryptography.
Honestly, it makes me want to learn how to code.
Maybe next time you see me at a FOSS event, I'll know a little more about the technical side. Until then, I'm glad Ente is open source. ;)
And if you want to see it for yourself, Ente Photos has 10GB free to start. Ente Auth and Ente Locker are built the same way: open source and end-to-end encrypted.