Time to learn GPG
I think it’s about time that people became aware of the advantages of the GnuPrivacyGuard.
Why?
According the to BBC the government are considering keeping a database of every phone call made and every email sent. Now, it’s already possible to do this with your current email communications - and very few people bother to encrypt their mail to make sure that only the recipient can read it.
Email passes over a network in plain text - thereby anything sent in a email is easy to ’sniff’ out and read. With gpg - you encrypt the mail with a password - then the only person that can read the mail is the person that knows that password.. the recipient of the email.
It’s a clever system, so here’s a link to Red Hat Magazine’s article on GPG.
For a Windows-based solution, try WinGPG.
If we can’t change the system, then we at least need to protect ourselves from it.
Tags: BBC, Conspiracy Theory, Control, Digital Freedom, Freedom, Personal, Political, Software, Tech Geek, Ubuntu
4 Comments
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Bookmarks about Gpg — September 11, 2008 @ 7:00 am
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By gord, May 20, 2008 @ 1:22 pm
This kinda crazy idea comes up every year or so, it’ll never get through don’t worry. its just too much to expect everyone to look up the public key of every random person they might want to email, not to mention the fact that the system falls down with things like mailing lists.
I use gpg when i am sending information i don’t want anyone else but the receiver to receive, which isn’t much. mostly just for signing emails.
By DarkFlib, May 21, 2008 @ 3:01 pm
Enigmail works pretty well for GPG if you are a Thunderbird user.
As to looking up the public key of every random person they want to email, this isn’t really necessary. If all your emails are signed then your key will propogate on its own, so when someone needs to email you securely (not all email needs to be encrytped and frequently can’t be if the other user has an unknown key or doesn’t use GPG) they have your key and can *then* check it, or rely on a web of trust relationship between people they know.
The more intrusive the gov becomes, the more people will look for ways to secure their communications, but most people aren’t feeling the effects enough yet.
By AlexM, August 7, 2008 @ 2:51 pm
Don’t forget Labour introduced legislation meaning that if they believe you have an encryption key they can force you to hand it over or face prosecution…