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  • Cops hate encryption but the NSA loves it when you use PGP

    From Aug@2:460/256 to All on Thu Jun 1 22:13:20 2023
    Hi All...

    Cops hate encryption but the NSA loves it when you use PGP

    https://www.theregister.com/2016/01/27/nsa_loves_it_when_you_use_pgp/

    --
    /|ug
    https://t.me/aabolins

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    * Origin: Fido by Telegram BBS from Stas Mishchenkov (2:460/256)
  • From Wilfred van Velzen@2:280/464 to Aug on Thu Jun 1 21:31:02 2023
    * Originally in MOBILE
    * Crossposted in PUBLIC_KEYS

    Hi Aug,

    On 2023-06-01 22:13:20, you wrote to All:

    Cops hate encryption but the NSA loves it when you use PGP

    https://www.theregister.com/2016/01/27/nsa_loves_it_when_you_use_pgp/

    A bit old, but still interesting!

    So you need to hide your pgp/gpg communication, in for instance encrypted binkp sessions! And not use email... ;-)

    Bye, Wilfred.

    --- FMail-lnx64 2.2.0.0
    * Origin: FMail development HQ (2:280/464)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to Wilfred van Velzen on Thu Jun 1 18:15:00 2023
    Hello Wilfred!

    A bit old, but still interesting!

    So you need to hide your pgp/gpg communication, in for instance
    encrypted binkp sessions! And not use email... ;-)

    I failed to notice the date of the original. A lot of things
    have changed in gpg/pgp usage and implementation since 2016.

    I bet gpg is more wide-spread in usage now than then.

    Collecting and analying meta data NOW seems like a make-work
    project that wastes time and resources.


    --
    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.57
    * Origin: (2:221/1.58)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to Wilfred van Velzen on Thu Jun 1 18:25:00 2023
    Hello Wilfred!

    * Originally in MOBILE
    * Crossposted in PUBLIC_KEYS

    Good choice to x-post here.

    https://www.theregister.com/2016/01/27/nsa_loves_it_when_you_use_pgp/

    A bit old, but still interesting!

    So you need to hide your pgp/gpg communication, in for instance
    encrypted binkp sessions! And not use email... ;-)

    But binkp is only sound during the initial transfer. The
    resultant fidonet content become public info once it lands on a
    bbs that opens the echos for public viewing. :(


    --
    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.57
    * Origin: (2:221/1.58)
  • From Wilfred van Velzen@2:280/464 to August Abolins on Fri Jun 2 08:44:42 2023
    * Originally in MOBILE
    * Crossposted in PUBLIC_KEYS

    Hi August,

    On 2023-06-01 18:15:00, you wrote to me:

    A bit old, but still interesting!

    So you need to hide your pgp/gpg communication, in for instance
    encrypted binkp sessions! And not use email... ;-)

    I failed to notice the date of the original. A lot of things
    have changed in gpg/pgp usage and implementation since 2016.

    It probably has. But not regarding the recognisability of the pgp/gpg data afaik.

    I bet gpg is more wide-spread in usage now than then.

    I don't see any evidence of that.

    Collecting and analying meta data NOW seems like a make-work
    project that wastes time and resources.

    Why do you think so. The NSA (and likes) wouldn't turn of their 2016 systems, if they still keep working and giving them valuable data...


    Bye, Wilfred.

    --- FMail-lnx64 2.2.0.0
    * Origin: FMail development HQ (2:280/464)
  • From Wilfred van Velzen@2:280/464 to August Abolins on Fri Jun 2 08:50:37 2023
    * Originally in MOBILE
    * Crossposted in PUBLIC_KEYS

    Hi August,

    On 2023-06-01 18:25:00, you wrote to me:

    So you need to hide your pgp/gpg communication, in for instance
    encrypted binkp sessions! And not use email... ;-)

    But binkp is only sound during the initial transfer. The
    resultant fidonet content become public info once it lands on a
    bbs that opens the echos for public viewing. :(

    You wouldn't normally send your private mails in public echomail areas. You would use netmail, preferably direct, so I don't see that down side...

    Bye, Wilfred.

    --- FMail-lnx64 2.2.0.0
    * Origin: FMail development HQ (2:280/464)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to Wilfred van Velzen on Sat Jun 3 08:36:00 2023
    Hello Wilfred!

    ** On Friday 02.06.23 - 08:50, Wilfred van Velzen wrote to August Abolins:

    * Originally in MOBILE
    * Crossposted in PUBLIC_KEYS

    But binkp is only sound during the initial transfer. The
    resultant fidonet content become public info once it lands on a
    bbs that opens the echos for public viewing. :(

    You wouldn't normally send your private mails in public echomail areas. You would use netmail, preferably direct, so I don't see that down side...

    Oh yeah.. netmail could work that way exclusively. Good point.
    That could be reasonably invisible to the NSA/spy. But the use
    of the binkp can still be deteted, no? And if that's the case,
    they can start focusing their observations on systems that use
    it and probe deeper.
    --
    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.57
    * Origin: (2:221/1.58)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to Wilfred van Velzen on Tue Jun 6 08:34:00 2023
    Hello WvV!

    ** On Friday 02.06.23 - 08:44, you wrote to me:

    * Originally in MOBILE
    * Crossposted in PUBLIC_KEYS

    I bet gpg is more wide-spread in usage now than then.

    I don't see any evidence of that.

    Well.. Thunderbird has supported PGP/GPG integration for years
    via plugins, and now it is practically built-in and part of the
    whole program. An implementation like that only begs to be
    discovered and used. If the coders for TB have done this, they
    must have had the evidence or requests for that.

    Then there are all the other programs such as GPGTools
    GPGshell, etc.. that exist and continue to be supported.

    I am sure friends tell two friends and so on, about these
    options to integrate more privacy in comms.


    Collecting and analying meta data NOW seems like a make-work
    project that wastes time and resources.

    Why do you think so. The NSA (and likes) wouldn't turn of
    their 2016 systems, if they still keep working and giving
    them valuable data...

    Sure.. even for them change is hard. So, they just keep
    investing more and more resources to maintain this beast of
    collecting everything - but with a very limited feasible
    outcome.

    They are forced to focus on narrow sets of data: a particular
    suspect or small group.

    But even then, the associations between suspects/groups could
    be full of red-herrings.



    --
    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.57
    * Origin: (2:221/1.58)