The Trade-Off Nobody Talks About
You upload your thesis draft to a cloud editor. Convenient! Accessible from anywhere! Backed up automatically!
But consider what else you just uploaded:
- Unpublished research representing three years of work
- Proprietary methods your lab developed
- Patient data from a clinical trial
- Grant proposals with ideas you haven't patented yet
All now sitting on servers controlled by a company you've never met, in a jurisdiction you didn't choose, accessible to employees you'll never know about.
For many researchers, this isn't abstract risk—it's a real problem with documented consequences.
What's Actually at Stake
Consider what your LaTeX documents typically contain:
- Unpublished research that represents months or years of work
- Proprietary algorithms and methodologies before patent filing
- Sensitive data from human subjects research
- Confidential collaborations with industry partners
- Grant proposals with novel research directions
When this content lives on someone else's server, you're trusting that company with some of your most valuable intellectual property.
The Regulatory Reality
Many researchers work under strict data governance requirements:
- HIPAA for health-related research in the US
- GDPR for research involving EU citizens
- IRB protocols that mandate specific data handling procedures
- Export controls for certain types of research
Cloud-based editors can complicate compliance. Where is your data stored? Who has access? Can it be subpoenaed? These questions matter for regulated research.
A Different Approach: Client-Side Everything
Thetapad takes a fundamentally different approach. Your documents never leave your device unless you explicitly share them. Here's how it works:
- Local compilation: LaTeX compiles in your browser using WebAssembly
- Local storage: Documents are stored in your browser's IndexedDB
- P2P collaboration: When you share, data goes directly between collaborators
- Zero-knowledge sync: We can't read your documents because we never receive them
This isn't just a privacy feature—it's the architecture of the entire system.
Making the Switch
If you're currently using a cloud-based editor, transitioning to a local-first approach is straightforward:
- Export your projects as ZIP files
- Import them into Thetapad
- Continue working with full privacy
Your workflow stays the same. Your privacy improves dramatically.
Conclusion
The academic publishing system already has enough problems without adding data privacy concerns to the mix. By choosing tools that respect your data sovereignty, you can focus on what matters: doing great research.
Your documents. Your device. Your privacy.