PGP is alive again

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papercut

New member
For those interested in privacy, PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) has been resurrected. This encryption product has been bought by the newly-formed PGP Corporation, headed by several of the former PGP developers. In addition, the creator, Phil Zimmerman, along with Bruce Schneier and a few others, are on the technical advisory board for the new company.

Among other things, they promise to maintain the open-source version of the product.

They say version 8.0 will be released by the end of the year.

Everyone join me in rejoicing!!!
 
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King

New member
I guess I'm not all that excited about PGP. I'm familiar with it but I don't really have anything to say that requires that I encrypt it.

I think that I'll simply enjoy my right to free speech. If others or the government don't like what I have to say or disagree with my opinion.......we'll that's their problem.

If you have to use PGP (encryption), are you not diluting you're right to free speech?

JMHO......:rolleyes:
 
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braindead0

New member
If you have to use PGP (encryption), are you not diluting you're right to free speech?
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No, you are asserting your right to privacy.

PGP has more uses that encryption, I sign all of my e-mail correspondence with PGP (well, GnuPG) so that it can be verified that the message has not been changed and has indeed come from me. I think that is one of the most generally useful purposes of PGP.
 
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Blackhorse

New member
So much of this computer stuff is so far over my head that I'm just careful of what I say on the net and the cell phone and don't worry about it, I suppose my only concern would be using my visa on e-bay and ammoman.
 
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AV1611

New member
Sending sensitive/private information via the Internet is like shouting it from the mountaintop. PGP keeps your private information private.

AV1611 out...
 
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King

New member
If I use PGP to "pitch" private information, doesn't the receiver have to have PGP to receive it and decode it? I think they do.

Once you send private information, PGP or no, I don't think you can guarantee that it will "stay" private.

If you say it electronically, you better be prepared for it to be seen by others at some point.

I'm all for using nifty tools to protect one's identity from being stolen but that can happen even if you use PGP. Therefore, you may be giving yourself a false sense of security.

All this said, I'm only a novice user of this medium just like most other people. PGP has been around for a good while but has yet to make any significant impact that I can see.

Shhhhh....people are tuning in to read what we say here. No telling what kind of subversive people talk about guns on this forum............Big Brother is watching.......
 
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braindead0

New member
If I use PGP to "pitch" private information, doesn't the receiver have to have PGP to receive it and decode it? I think they do.
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First you have to understand public key encryption. What you have is a private key and a public key, if people want to encrypt something to send to you they use *your* public key to encrypt it. Anything encrypted with your public key can only be un-encrypted with your private key. So the answer to your question is yes. Fact is you can't really encrypt something to somebody unless they've got a public key and thus likely has some implementation of PGP installed.
Once you send private information, PGP or no, I don't think you can guarantee that it will "stay" private.
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Correct, but this is no worse than anything else.
If you say it electronically, you better be prepared for it to be seen by others at some point.
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With public key encryption, if somebody else read it... it would mean that those you encrypted it to must have divulged that information. No worse than telling them in person, writing a letter.. etc. Any information you tell to anybody may be passed on.
All this said, I'm only a novice user of this medium just like most other people. PGP has been around for a good while but has yet to make any significant impact that I can see.
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That's the beauty of it, you would not see the impact necessarily. Back when the BATF was trying to 'get' Phil Zimmerman, they wanted to keep this technology out of the hands of everyone. Luckily it's too late. I rarely ever encrypt with PGP, but I do like having that option.
 
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Bacchus

New member
I'm not sure if this was mentioned on the recent threads about PGP, but Schneier has an excellent primer on privacy. It's not an easy read, especially for someone completely unfamiliar with computer and digital technology.

It's called Secrets and Lies; Digital security in a networked world.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...f=sr_8_2/002-7744939-0862407?s=books&n=507846

It was my first book on encryption and it took me a while to plow through it, but worth it.
 
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braindead0

New member
I'll second that recommendation. I've read Applied Cryptography (both 1st and 2nd edition) probably 3 or 4 times.. If you're a geek like me, those books are awesome :D
 
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King

New member
Thanks for the education braindead0....I guess I'm just disappointed that there has to be a need for such devices.

I did like your comments tho and will mull them over some more.
 
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braindead0

New member
I think that strong encryption is somewhat like guns in that it can help keep the government in check. An oppresive regime would have a difficult time infiltrating any resistance movement if *all* email were encrypted, sadly that is not the case yet.

When encryption is illegal, only criminals will have encryption :p
 
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