So now it seems the government is
snooping on the entire internet. I'm no expert, but from the article it looks like everything you do on the internet goes through an NSA computer. They can read your e-mail, find out what web sites you've visited, etc. Is it constitutional? Is it legal? I don't know. But it sure is creepy, and I wouldn't want ANYONE to read my e-mails except for me and the person I'm sending it to. So if you're like me, you might want to consider encrypting your e-mails. It's easier than you might think, and if you follow me below the fold, I'll give you a primer.
The internet standard right know is
PGP, which stands for "Pretty Good Privacy". Don't be fooled, though! Despite its modest name, no known cryptographic methods can crack it. Other methods are available, but since this is the most commonly used, you might want to start with it. Here's where you can get it:
- Windows users will want to get gpg4win, which is a nice graphical version. Setup should be relatively straightforward.
- Mac users will probably need two downloads: Mac GPG and, if you intend to use it with Mac's Mail app, GPG Mail. Again, both are pretty straightforward.
If you want to use straightforward
RSA instead,
this website is a great start. You need a Unix-based system, however (like Mac OS X). I personally have an RSA pair and will get PGP soon.
Again, I recommend everyone do this. If you don't mind the government reading your e-mail, fine. But since you can do something about it, why not?
... and if you have something to add, please do so in the comments!
(Cross-posted at The Citizens)
