PRIVATE.ME / xGit vs Git Clone

xGit vs Git Clone

How session-gated version control replaces permanent local copies with cryptographically revocable access.

The problem: Departing engineers git clone full repositories. Contractors steal proprietary algorithms. One clone = permanent local copy. $46 billion in stolen code annually. No cryptographic revocation exists in standard git.

The fundamental problem with git clone

When a developer clones a repository, they receive a complete, permanent local copy of every file in the repository's history. Revoking their GitHub or GitLab access has no effect on the copy they already have. There is no mechanism in standard git to make cloned data inaccessible after the fact.

This creates several categories of risk:

How xGit works

xGit splits every file into shares using XorIDA threshold splitting before storage:

When a developer checks out code, Share 2 is delivered only to verified, active sessions. The shares are combined locally to reconstruct the file. When the session expires — or access is revoked — Share 2 is purged. The local copy becomes Share 1 only: useless noise. The code is cryptographically inaccessible, not just administratively blocked.

The key insight: Share 1 alone reveals zero bits of information about the original file. This is information-theoretic security — mathematical, not administrative. Revoking access destroys the mathematical possibility of reconstruction, not just permission to request it.

Side-by-side comparison

Property Standard Git xGit
Clone result Permanent local copy — full repository, full history Session-gated reconstruction — no persistent plaintext
Access revocation Administrative only — prevents future clones, not existing copies Cryptographic — session expires, Share 2 purged, code becomes noise
Departing employee risk Retains full copy of all cloned repositories indefinitely Session expires at departure — existing local files become inaccessible
Contractor access Contract ends, code stays Contract ends, session expires, code becomes noise
Compromised machine Full repository contents exposed Share 1 only on disk — mathematically useless without active session
Commit signing SSH keys — file-based, can be copied DID-based — cryptographic identity, cannot be copied
Audit trail Access logs — shows permissions, not actions Tamper-evident HMAC-chained audit trail — per-DID, per-file
IP protection Policy-based — NDAs and legal recourse after the fact Mathematical — one share reveals zero bits about the original

What xGit replaces

Use cases

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