[Hidden-tech] Favorite Secure Email Service

[Stephen Michel]

Very short version: *Probably* the best thing is to use Signal, not 
email.

Short version: Email isn't secure. I can write (or better, link to) a 
longer explanation of why that's the case, but the bottom line is that 
it just wasn't built for privacy. You *can* build a secure system on 
top of email, by encrypting things before you send them through email 
using a different tool (pgp), and then decrypting them on the other 
end. But that's hard for most people to set up and still lacks a couple 
important security features (forward secrecy, metadata security). 
There's also providers like protonmail which add a *little* security. 
While acknowledging that something is better than nothing, there's 
still flaws in these systems and you shouldn't think you're getting 
strong security from using them.

Longer version (in a follow-up email): This question as it stands is 
impossible to answer well, because security is a spectrum. Edward 
Snowden, the president, and you all have very different security needs. 
In order to arrive at a good answer, you need to figure out your 
security model.

- Who do you want privacy from? Random everyday people? Friends? An 
abusive ex/partner? The government? A hacker? For whoever it is, are 
they doing it en masse or targeting you specifically?
- Who will you be communicating with? If it's an elderly 
parent/grandparent, you need something simple enough that they can use 
it. Otherwise, it doesn't matter how good the security is.
- What information are you trying to protect? Is it just the contents 
of the conversation, or also the people you're talking to (eg, a 
whistleblower contacting a journalist needs this).

For most "regular" people, I think Signal is a pretty good fit, and 
that's why I recommended it given I know nothing about your use case.
--
I try to write short, functional emails.

On Wed, Apr 8, 2020 at 08:38, Christine Dutton via Hidden-discuss 
<hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net> wrote:
> Hello Hidden Tech Folks:
> Please recommend free favorite secure email services.
> Thank you!
> Christine
> *Christine Dutton*
> *Dutton Consulting *
> *413-626-6377*
> *Find me on Facebook here!  
> <https://www.facebook.com/duttonconsulting/>*
> *
> *

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