Encryption, protecting your right to privacy

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In light of the recent revelations, made public by Edward Snowden, regarding the NSA snooping on every electronic communication, I have decided to put GPG on my computer and utilize hefty, public sourced, encryption to protect my privacy and put forth an expectation that my 4th Amendment Protection Against Unreasonable Searches and Seizures applies on my computer and to messages on the Internet.

GPG allows Mac users ease of implementation and use.  There are some concepts you need to grasp to use it properly.  The tutorial that is included with the software is phenomenal.  A brief rundown of these concepts before you install the software can only be beneficial; there is the concept of a “key pair” and two methods you can utilize, individually or together, “encryption and signing”.

Keys:

You have two keys, a public key that you share, and a private key that you NEVER share.  Sometimes called a key-pair, because they are mathematically related which allows you to decrypt a message with your private key from people who use your public key to encrypt a message.  So let’s talk a second about encryption.

Encryption:

You can only encrypt a message to someone who has given you their public key, and who has received your public key.  So, once keys are exchanged, you can encrypt a message, and be reasonably assured that only the intended recipients can read the message. It’s EXACTLY like placing a letter in an envelope.  The envelope is sealed and protected by laws which ensure it is only opened by the person to whom it is addressed.

Signing:

You can also sign a message with your private key, that anyone can validate as long as they have your public key.  This only adds a short attachment to your message that allows someone to make sure your message wasn’t tampered with or changed in transit to your intended recipient. The closest thing I can associate this with in our non-digital life is a notary public. But the functions of a digital signature go way beyond ensuring the person who signed the message was who they said they are.

If you grok those concepts you are ready to install and use encryption. It sends a powerful message to those who would otherwise think they were our overlords and masters, when in reality they are only our servants, public servants to be precise.

Make a statement, digitally sign your emails.

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