Last December I wanted to see if I could keep a journal online without creating accounts or relying on any platform to keep it safe. The idea was simple, store everything in public, but keep it private at the same time. To do that, I built a small system where the actual entry is encrypted locally by me, the encrypted text is what gets stored publicly, and the only way to read it is by typing the right key in the browser which is not available in the code either. If you don’t have the key, it’s just noise.

The link I’m sharing is my own experiment. I journaled for 200 days counting down to my 21st birthday. On the page you’ll see the song titles and dates I picked for each day, which are public by design, but the real content of each entry is hidden unless the right key is used. This means you can follow the shape of the journal without ever knowing the private text of it.

There are some interesting outcomes that came out of this. Because the key is never stored anywhere, I can open the journal on any computer, even a public library one, and still unlock it. The moment I type, the text changes in real time, and the entry only becomes readable if I finish the correct key. If I forget the key, the data is gone for everyone, including me, which is part of the design. It’s a convenient mix of accessibility and privacy, the data is visible to the entire internet, but only I can read it. I also don’t have to hassle with logins or accounts.

This isn’t a new cryptographic invention. The encryption method could be anything, even something as trivial as reversing the text. What matters is the pattern: encrypt locally, store publicly, and decrypt only with a key that lives in your head. This is just one way to show that private information can exist on the public internet without logins, verification, or accounts.

The journal is on my portfolio: https://sgaud.com/the-other-side/200-days-till-21 Open any blog and try putting keys in the bottom-right key section.

I’d be curious to hear what people think of this approach, and where it might be useful outside of journaling.