#6. To: robin, Neil McIver, Tauzero, Jethro Tull, lodwick, christine, Esso, angle, bluegrass, Eoghan, Mekons4, BTP Holdings, SKYDRIFTER, Dakmar, Horse, Max, ladybug, mirage, randge, bluedogtxn, Red Jones, RickyJ, loner (#2)
You've got to get over the encryption seduction of computer communications. Computer communication is the LEAST secure method of communicating with other people covertly. Encryption cannot protect ANYTHING on the internet. There are at least two major vulnerabilities to internet communications. First,mechanically, email communications can be recorded, and are recorded, in your computer. Even if you delete them, they're still in there, and the FBI (being the least technically capable of the agencies) can often pull them back out and reconstruct them. Secondly, systemically, it is impossible to know ho much of your electronic communication is recorded by the ISP, by agencies monitoring the web, etc. Even if you encrypt what you send, it is basically out there forever for someone to decrypt; which means that you are relying on today's encryption to protect you from tomorrows decryption programs. Additionally, you don't know that the programmers putting together encryption software haven't given the gummint the keys and backdoors to decrypt your stuff when the DHS agent comes and says it's a "matter of national security"...
The best way to communicate covertly is old school. Face to face in the middle of nowhere, or using a private code that only you know, etc. The very best means is to stay under the radar and to not be suspected in the first place. While that may be impossible for people who are psyops or propagandists, due to the nature of the work, it is relatively easy for their friends.
Encryption cannot protect ANYTHING on the internet.
I beg to differ, but hey, you can believe what you want to.
If you don't trust any of the encryption software providers you can just write your own up and encrypt it yourself. Encryption can give you good to very good protection now. I wouldn't say it is 100% totally secure today, but it would be very close to that today. It's about as secure as it will ever get IMO right now. In the future I can see it being much less secure.
Basically, the govt does not release any encryption scheme it cannot decrypt.
Fine, are they really going to go to all the trouble of decrypting every frame of every video conferencing call?
No, but if they want to put someone away, they might.
As the links I posted above mention, the endpoints are still vulnerable.
But measures can be taken. Most people won't do much more than a firewall.
If you are really paranoid perhaps a separate cheap computer for communication that can be reformatted and reinstalled quickly, or a ghosted image copied over quickly.
You lose everything you don't backup, but the system is clean.
I use a creditcard with a small amount on it for my online purchases for similar reasons. Not quite the same, but the point is we can take measures.