#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.
That isn't true.
...mechanically, email communications can be recorded, and are recorded, in your computer.
If your mailstore (the files in which your email is stored), such as a PST or MBX file, is located inside of an encrypted file container then nobody will be able to access it.
...you don't know that the programmers putting together encryption software haven't given the gummint the keys and backdoors to decrypt your stuff...
TrueCrypt is open source. You can see if there are any backdoors (and there aren't any).