Daily Archives: December 16, 2005

Email and privacy

Posted on by
1

After my political diatribe, I thought it might be a good time to bring this up. ;)

As those of you who exchange email with me will know, all of my emails include an attachement that virtually none of you can read. That attachment is my digital signature, which proves (with the right software) that any email you receive from me really IS from me, and that it hasn’t been altered since I sent it.

That same software can also be used to encrypt messages, so that only the intended recipient can read them. Unfortunately, that software is fairly arcane to set up, so it’s not something that most people are going to bother with. However, there is a web-based mail service available now that makes it much simpler. It’s called HushMail.com. It allows for verification of digital signatures, and encrypting mail.

I know most of you aren’t as picky about privacy as I am, but if anyone’s interested, go check it out. The basic service is free. It doesn’t support all the “bells and whistles” that I’d like, but it’s at least a start.

Share

The Patriot act and privacy

Posted on by
3

The New Work Times is reporting today that President Bush authorized illegal wiretapping of US Citizens. This as Congress debates renewal of the Patriot Act.

You could argue that this timing is not accidental. I don’t know if it is or not. What I do know is that it’s time to examine the behavior of the leadership of this country. Bill Clinton was brought before impeachment hearings for lying under oath about having sex with Monica Lewinski. Let’s look at Bush’s record:

  • Went to war based on intelligence that had already been flagged as “questionable” to eliminate a regime that posed no provable threat
  • Guantanamo Bay
  • Abu Ghraib
  • Torture as an interrogation device (C. Rice’s verbal dance around the issue is no better than Clinton’s “it depends on the meaning of the word ‘is’”)

And now illegal wiretaps. Can anyone tell me why impeachment proceedings aren’t underway yet? Or why anyone would trust this government with the kind of sweeping powers granted by the Patriot Act? (I hate that name, by the way. The “Patriot Act” is about the most UN-patriot thing I can think of. It flies in the face of the principals that this country was founded on)

[tag:wiretap] [tag:patriot act]

Share