[Hidden-tech] Favorite Secure Email Service

[Christopher Parker]

I don't know your situation.  But as a user I've just about had it to 
here with "secure" email solutions.  They are always a headache and 
always cause me to do all kinds of not secure things in order to use 
them.  You may not be in a position to do so, but if you can, I hope you 
would consider just how much security is really necessary.  For example, 
I really do NOT want to get my health care stuff on some kind of 
"Secure" email.  The likelihood of something going astray is small and 
inconsequential.  Banking information though, I understand.  I also 
understand that health care providers are working within HIPPA 
requirements and that other people have circumstances, abusive 
relationships and so on that necessitate security.


On 4/8/2020 11:25 AM, Stephen Michel via Hidden-discuss wrote:
> 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, bec ause 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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