en/index: consistently use [keyID] in command lines.
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4<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
5<title>Email Self-Defense - a guide to fighting surveillance with GnuPG
6encryption</title>
7<meta name="keywords" content="GnuPG, GPG, openpgp, surveillance, privacy,
7b83f7f9 8email, security, GnuPG2" />
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9<meta name="description" content="Email surveillance violates our fundamental
10rights and makes free speech risky. This guide will teach you email
11self-defense in 40 minutes with GnuPG." />
12<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
14c5f099 13<link rel="stylesheet" href="../static/css/main.css" />
19bce4d7 14<link rel="shortcut icon"
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e59c77da 19<!--<div style="text-align: center; padding: 2.5px; background-color: #a94442; color:#fcf8e3;"><p>Due to Enigmail's PGP functionality being migrated into Icedove and Thunderbird, steps 2 and 3 of the guide are currently out of date.</p><p> Thank you for your patience while we're working on a new round of updates.</p></div>-->
0e203e6f 20
f12cd56f 21<!-- PLACE FUNDRAISER MODAL WINDOW HERE -->
aa082aba 22
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24<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ GnuPG Header and introduction text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
25<header class="row" id="header"><div>
116f80c3 26
e59c77da 27
19bce4d7 28<h1>Email Self-Defense</h1>
116f80c3 29
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30<!-- Language list for browsers that do not have JS enabled -->
31<ul id="languages" class="os">
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48<li><a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Translation_Guide">
49<strong><span style="color: #2F5FAA;">Translate!</span></strong></a></li>
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50</ul>
51
52<ul id="menu" class="os">
37d0bc33 53<li class="spacer"><a href="index.html" class="current">Set up guide</a></li>
54<!--<li><a href="mac.html">Mac OS</a></li>-->
55<!--<li><a href="windows.html">Windows</a></li>-->
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56<li class="spacer"><a href="workshops.html">Teach your friends</a></li>
57<li class="spacer"><a
770452f9 58href="https://fsf.org/share?u=https://u.fsf.org/zb&amp;t=Email%20encryption%20for%20everyone%20via%20%40fsf">
f211d856 59Share&nbsp;
14c5f099 60<img src="../static/img/gnu-social.png" class="share-logo"
19bce4d7 61alt="[GNU Social]" />&nbsp;
14c5f099 62<img src="../static/img/mastodon.png" class="share-logo"
d06ce723 63alt="[Mastodon]" />&nbsp;
14c5f099 64<img src="../static/img/reddit-alien.png" class="share-logo"
19bce4d7 65alt="[Reddit]" />&nbsp;
14c5f099 66<img src="../static/img/hacker-news.png" class="share-logo"
f211d856 67alt="[Hacker News]" /></a></li>
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68</ul>
69
70<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ FSF Introduction ~~~~~~~~~ -->
71<div id="fsf-intro">
72
6003a573 73<h3><a href="https://u.fsf.org/ys"><img
19bce4d7 74alt="Free Software Foundation"
14c5f099 75src="../static/img/fsf-logo.png" />
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76</a></h3>
77
78<div class="fsf-emphasis">
79
80<p>We fight for computer users' rights, and promote the development of free (as
81in freedom) software. Resisting bulk surveillance is very important to us.</p>
82
83<p><strong>Please donate to support Email Self-Defense. We need to keep
84improving it, and making more materials, for the benefit of people around
85the world taking the first step towards protecting their privacy.</strong></p>
86
87</div>
88
89<p><a
0dacb163 90href="https://crm.fsf.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&amp;id=14&amp;mtm_campaign=email_self_defense&amp;mtm_kwd=guide_donate"><img
19bce4d7 91alt="Donate"
14c5f099 92src="../static/img/en/donate.png" /></a></p>
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93
94</div><!-- End #fsf-intro -->
95
96<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Guide Introduction ~~~~~~~~~ -->
97<div class="intro">
98
99<p><a id="infographic" href="infographic.html"><img
14c5f099 100src="../static/img/en/infographic-button.png"
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101alt="View &amp; share our infographic &rarr;" /></a>
102Bulk surveillance violates our fundamental rights and makes free speech
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103risky. This guide will teach you a basic surveillance self-defense skill: email
104encryption. Once you've finished, you'll be able to send and receive emails
105that are scrambled to make sure a surveillance agent or thief intercepting
106your email can't read them. All you need is a computer with an Internet
107connection, an email account, and about forty minutes.</p>
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108
109<p>Even if you have nothing to hide, using encryption helps protect the privacy
110of people you communicate with, and makes life difficult for bulk surveillance
111systems. If you do have something important to hide, you're in good company;
112these are the same tools that whistleblowers use to protect their identities
80b64e11 113while shining light on human rights abuses, corruption, and other crimes.</p>
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114
115<p>In addition to using encryption, standing up
116to surveillance requires fighting politically for a <a
e59c77da 117href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html">reduction
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118in the amount of data collected on us</a>, but the essential first step is
119to protect yourself and make surveillance of your communication as difficult
120as possible. This guide helps you do that. It is designed for beginners, but
121if you already know the basics of GnuPG or are an experienced free software
122user, you'll enjoy the advanced tips and the <a href="workshops.html">guide
123to teaching your friends</a>.</p>
124
125</div><!-- End .intro -->
126</div></header><!-- End #header -->
127
128<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 1: Get the pieces ~~~~~~~~~ -->
129<section class="row" id="section1"><div>
130
131<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
132<div class="section-intro">
133
134<h2><em>#1</em> Get the pieces</h2>
135
136<p class="notes">This guide relies on software which is <a
137href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">freely licensed</a>;
138it's completely transparent and anyone can copy it or make their
139own version. This makes it safer from surveillance than proprietary
80b64e11 140software (like Windows or macOS). Learn more about free software at <a
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141href="https://u.fsf.org/ys">fsf.org</a>.</p>
142
c174e65c 143<p>Most GNU/Linux operating systems come with GnuPG installed on them, so if you're running one of these systems, you don't have to download it. If you're running macOS or Windows, steps to download GnuPG are below. Before configuring your encryption setup with this guide, though, you'll need a desktop email program installed on your computer. Many GNU/Linux distributions have one installed already, such as Icedove, which may be under the alternate name "Thunderbird." Programs like these are another way to access the same email accounts you can access in a browser (like Gmail), but provide extra features.</p>
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144
145<p>If you already have an email program, you can skip to <a
7b83f7f9 146href="#section2">Step 2</a>.</p>
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147
148</div><!-- End .section-intro -->
149
150<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
151<div id="step-1a" class="step">
152<div class="sidebar">
153
154<p><img
14c5f099 155src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step1a-install-wizard.png"
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156alt="Step 1.A: Install Wizard" /></p>
157
158</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
159<div class="main">
160
161<h3><em>Step 1.a</em> Set up your email program with your email account</h3>
162
163<p>Open your email program and follow the wizard (step-by-step walkthrough)
37d0bc33 164that sets it up with your email account. This usually starts from "Account Settings" &rarr; "Add Mail Account". You should get the email server settings from your systems administrator or the help section of your email account.</p>
165<br />
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166
167<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
168<div class="troubleshooting">
169
170<h4>Troubleshooting</h4>
171
172<dl>
173<dt>The wizard doesn't launch</dt>
174<dd>You can launch the wizard yourself, but the menu option for doing so is
175named differently in each email program. The button to launch it will be in
176the program's main menu, under "New" or something similar, titled something
177like "Add account" or "New/Existing email account."</dd>
178
179<dt>The wizard can't find my account or isn't downloading my mail</dt>
180<dd>Before searching the Web, we recommend you start by asking other people
181who use your email system, to figure out the correct settings.</dd>
182
b7f7b4a2 183<dt>I can't find the menu</dt>
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184<dd>In many new email programs, the main menu is represented by an image of
185three stacked horizontal bars.</dd>
186
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187<dt class="feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?</dt>
188<dd class="feedback">Please let us know on the <a
189href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
190page</a>.</dd>
191</dl>
192
193</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
194</div><!-- End .main -->
195</div><!-- End #step1-a .step -->
196
197<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
198<div id="step-1b" class="step">
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199<div class="main">
200
37d0bc33 201<h3><em>Step 1.b</em> Get your terminal ready and install GnuPG</h3>
19bce4d7 202
803e8e2e 203<p>If you are using a GNU/Linux machine, you should already have GnuPG installed, and you can skip to <a href="#section2">Step 2</a>.</p>
204<p>If you are using a macOS or Windows machine, however, you need to first install the GnuPG program. Select your operating system below and follow the steps. For the rest of the steps in this guide, the steps are the same for all operating systems. </p>
19bce4d7 205
37d0bc33 206<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ MACOS ~~~~~~~~~ -->
207<div class="troubleshooting">
19bce4d7 208
37d0bc33 209<h4>MacOS</h4>
64af8734 210
37d0bc33 211<dl>
212<dt>Use a third-party package manager to install GnuPG</dt>
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213<dd>Your macOS comes with a program called "Terminal" pre-installed, which we'll use to set up your encryption with GnuPG, using the command line. However, the default macOS package manager makes it difficult to install GnuPG and other pieces of free software (like Emacs, GIMP, or Inkscape).<br/>
214To make things easier, we recommend setting up the third-party package manager "Homebrew" to install GnuPG. Copy the link on the home page of <a href="https://brew.sh/">Homebrew</a> and paste it in Terminal. Click "Enter" and wait for it to finalize.<br/>
215When it is done, install the program by entering the following code in Terminal:<br/>
eacc6df3 216<span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">brew install gnupg gnupg2</span>. After installation is done, you can follow the steps of the rest of this guide.</dd>
37d0bc33 217</dl>
218
219</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
220
221<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ WINDOWS ~~~~~~~~~ -->
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222<div class="troubleshooting">
223
37d0bc33 224<h4>Windows</h4>
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225
226<dl>
37d0bc33 227<dt>Get GnuPG by downloading GPG4Win</dt>
e4fa2e82 228<dd><p><a href="https://www.gpg4win.org/">GPG4Win</a> is a email and file encryption software package that includes GnuPG. Download and install the latest version, choosing default options whenever asked. After it's installed, you can close any windows that it creates.</p>
19bce4d7 229
b7f7b4a2 230<p class="notes">To follow the rest of the steps in this guide, you'll use the program called "PowerShell", which is a program you'll see elsewhere referred to as a "terminal." This allows you to operate your computer using the command line.</p>
37d0bc33 231</dd>
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232</dl>
233
234</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
235</div><!-- End .main -->
37d0bc33 236</div><!-- End #step1-b .step -->
237
80b64e11 238<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
239<div id="terminology" class="step">
240<div class="main">
241
a4eb3926 242<h3>GnuPG, OpenPGP, what?</h3>
80b64e11 243
244<p>In general, the terms GnuPG, GPG, GNU Privacy Guard, OpenPGP and PGP
245are used interchangeably. Technically, OpenPGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is the
246encryption standard, and GNU Privacy Guard (often shortened to GPG or GnuPG)
247is the program that implements the standard. Most email programs provide an interface for GnuPG. There is also a newer version of GnuPG, called GnuPG2.</p>
248
249</div><!-- End .main -->
250</div><!-- End #terminology.step-->
251
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252</div></section><!-- End #section1 -->
253
254<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 2: Make your keys ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 255<section id="section2" class="row"><div>
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256
257<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
258<div class="section-intro">
259
260<h2><em>#2</em> Make your keys</h2>
14c5f099 261<p><img style="float:right; width:400px; margin-bottom:20px;" src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step2a-01-make-keypair.png" alt="A robot with a head shaped like a key holding a private and a public key"/></p>
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262
263<p>To use the GnuPG system, you'll need a public key and a private key (known
264together as a keypair). Each is a long string of randomly generated numbers
265and letters that are unique to you. Your public and private keys are linked
266together by a special mathematical function.</p>
267
268<p>Your public key isn't like a physical key, because it's stored in the open
269in an online directory called a keyserver. People download it and use it,
270along with GnuPG, to encrypt emails they send to you. You can think of the
271keyserver as a phonebook; people who want to send you encrypted email can
272look up your public key.</p>
273
274<p>Your private key is more like a physical key, because you keep it to
275yourself (on your computer). You use GnuPG and your private key together to
276descramble encrypted emails other people send to you. <span style="font-weight:
c902d991 277bold;">You should never share your private key with anyone, under any
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278circumstances.</span></p>
279
280<p>In addition to encryption and decryption, you can also use these keys to
281sign messages and check the authenticity of other people's signatures. We'll
282discuss this more in the next section.</p>
283
284</div><!-- End .section-intro -->
285
286<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
287<div id="step-2a" class="step">
288<div class="sidebar">
19bce4d7 289<p><img
14c5f099 290src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step2a-02-make-keypair.png"
35f08087 291alt="Step 2.A: Make your Keypair" /></p>
7b83f7f9 292<br />
293<p><img
14c5f099 294src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step2a-03-make-keypair.png"
7b83f7f9 295alt="Step 2.A: Set your passphrase" /></p>
296<br />
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297
298</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
299<div class="main">
300
301<h3><em>Step 2.a</em> Make a keypair</h3>
7b83f7f9 302<h6>Make your keypair</h6>
eacc6df3 303<p>Open a terminal using <span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">ctrl + alt + t</span> (on GNU/linux), or find it in your applications, and use the following code to create your keypair:</p>
19bce4d7 304
b7f7b4a2 305<p class="notes">We will use the command line in a terminal to create a keypair using the GnuPG program. A terminal should be installed on your GNU/Linux operating system, if you are using a macOS or Windows OS system, use the programs "Terminal" (macOS) or "PowerShell" (Windows) that were also used in section 1.</p>
19bce4d7 306
eacc6df3 307<p># <span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --full-generate-key</span> to start the process.</p>
308<p># To answer what kind of key you would like to create, select the default option <span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;"> 1 RSA and RSA</span>.</p>
309<p># Enter the following keysize: <span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">4096</span> for a strong key.</p>
310<p># Choose the expiration date, we suggest <span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">2y</span> (2 years).</p>
e59c77da 311<p>Follow the prompts to continue setting up with your personal details.</p>
19bce4d7 312
7b83f7f9 313<br />
314<h6>Set your passphrase</h6>
315<p>On the screen titled "Passphrase," pick a strong password! You can
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316do it manually, or you can use the Diceware method. Doing it manually
317is faster but not as secure. Using Diceware takes longer and requires
4d10d72d 318dice, but creates a password that is much harder for attackers to figure
19bce4d7 319out. To use it, read the section "Make a secure passphrase with Diceware" in <a
f211d856 320href="https://theintercept.com/2015/03/26/passphrases-can-memorize-attackers-cant-guess/">
7b83f7f9 321this article</a> by Micah Lee.</p>
322
19bce4d7 323
7b83f7f9 324<p>If you'd like to pick a passphrase manually, come up with something
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325you can remember which is at least twelve characters long, and includes
326at least one lower case and upper case letter and at least one number or
327punctuation symbol. Never pick a password you've used elsewhere. Don't use
328any recognizable patterns, such as birthdays, telephone numbers, pets' names,
329song lyrics, quotes from books, and so on.</p>
330
7b83f7f9 331<br />
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332
333<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
334<div class="troubleshooting">
335
336<h4>Troubleshooting</h4>
19bce4d7 337<dl>
e59c77da 338<dt>GnuPG is not installed</dt>
7b83f7f9 339<dd>
eacc6df3 340GPG is not installed. You can check if this is the case with the command <span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --version</span>.
803e8e2e 341If GnuPG is not installed, it would bring up the following result on most GNU/Linux operating systems, or something like it:
eacc6df3 342<span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">Command 'gpg' not found, but can be installed with:
343 sudo apt install gnupg</span>. Follow that command and install the program.</dd>
7b83f7f9 344
345<dt>I took too long to create my passphrase</dt>
b7f7b4a2 346<dd>That's okay. It's important to think about your passphrase. When you're ready, just follow the steps from the beginning again to create your key.</dd>
19bce4d7 347
b7f7b4a2 348<dt>How can I see my key?</dt>
7b83f7f9 349<dd>
eacc6df3 350Use the following command to see all keys <span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --list-keys</span>. Yours should be listed in there, and later, so will Edward's (<a href="#section3">section 3</a>). If you want to see only your key, you can use <span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --list-key [your@email]</span>.
351You can also use <span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --list-secret-key</span> to see your own private key.</dd>
19bce4d7 352
19bce4d7 353<dt>More resources</dt>
7b83f7f9 354<dd>For more information about this process, you can also refer to <a
355href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/c14.html#AEN25">The GNU Privacy
356Handbook</a>. Make sure you stick with "RSA and RSA" (the default),
357because it's newer and more secure than the algorithms the documentation
803e8e2e 358recommends. Also make sure your key is at least 4096 bits if you
80b64e11 359want to be secure.</dd>
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360
361<dt class="feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?</dt>
362<dd class="feedback">Please let us know on the <a
363href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
364page</a>.</dd>
365</dl>
366
367</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
368
369<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
370<div class="troubleshooting">
371
372<h4>Advanced</h4>
19bce4d7 373<dl>
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374<dt>Advanced key pairs</dt>
375<dd>When GnuPG creates a new keypair, it compartmentalizes
376the encryption function from the signing function through <a
377href="https://wiki.debian.org/Subkeys">subkeys</a>. If you use
7b83f7f9 378subkeys carefully, you can keep your GnuPG identity more
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379secure and recover from a compromised key much more quickly. <a
380href="https://alexcabal.com/creating-the-perfect-gpg-keypair/">Alex Cabal</a>
6003a573 381and <a href="https://keyring.debian.org/creating-key.html">the Debian wiki</a>
19bce4d7 382provide good guides for setting up a secure subkey configuration.</dd>
64f8f564 383</dl>
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384
385</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
386</div><!-- End .main -->
387</div><!-- End #step-2a .step -->
388
389<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
390<div id="step-2b" class="step">
7b83f7f9 391<div class="sidebar">
392<p><img
14c5f099 393src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step2b-04-upload-and-certificate.png"
80b64e11 394alt="Step 2.B: Send to server and generate a certificate" /></p>
19bce4d7 395
7b83f7f9 396</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
397<div class="main">
19bce4d7 398
7b83f7f9 399<h3><em>Step 2.b</em> Some important steps following creation</h3>
19bce4d7 400
7b83f7f9 401<h6>Upload your key to a keyserver</h6>
402<p>We will upload your key to a keyserver, so if someone wants to send you an encrypted message, they can download your public key from the Internet. There are multiple keyservers
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403that you can select from the menu when you upload, but they are all copies
404of each other, so it doesn't matter which one you use. However, it sometimes
405takes a few hours for them to match each other when a new key is uploaded.</p>
eacc6df3 406<p># Copy your keyID <span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gnupg --list-key [your@email]</span> will list your public ("pub") key information, including your keyID, which is a unique list of numbers and letters. Copy this keyID, so you can use it in the following command.</p>
407<p># Upload your key to a server: <span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --send-key [keyID]</span></p>
7b83f7f9 408
409<br />
410
7b83f7f9 411<h6>Export your key to a file</h6>
4f41943f 412<p>Use the following command to export your secret key so you can import it into your email client at the next <a href="#section3">step</a>. To avoid getting your key compromised, store this in a safe place, and make sure that if it is transferred, it is done so in a trusted way. Exporting your keys can be done with the following commands:</p>
7b83f7f9 413
e4fa2e82 414<p><span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">
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415$ gpg --export-secret-keys -a [keyID] > my_secret_key.asc<br/>
416$ gpg --export -a [keyID] > my_public_key.asc
e4fa2e82 417</span></p>
7b83f7f9 418
419<br />
19bce4d7 420
80b64e11 421<h6>Generate a revocation certificate</h6>
b7f7b4a2 422<p>Just in case you lose your key, or it gets compromised, you want to generate a certificate and choose to save it in a safe place on your computer for now (please refer to <a href="#step-6c"> step 6.C</a> for how to best store your revocation cerficate safely). This step is essential for your email self-defense, as you'll learn more about in <a href="#section5">Section 5</a>.</p>
423
eacc6df3 424<p># Copy your keyID <span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gnupg --list-key [your@email]</span> will list your public ("pub") key information, including your keyID, which is a unique list of numbers and letters. Copy this keyID, so you can use it in the following command.</p>
2ae503fa 425<p># Generate a revocation certificate: <span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --gen-revoke --output revoke.asc [keyID]</span></p>
eacc6df3 426<p># It will prompt you to give a reason for revocation, we recommend to use <span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">1 "key has been compromised"</span></p>
169c7097 427<p># You don't have to fill in a reason, but you can, then press enter for an empty line, and confirm your selection.</p>
80b64e11 428
429<br />
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430
431<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
432<div class="troubleshooting">
433
434<h4>Troubleshooting</h4>
435
436<dl>
b7f7b4a2 437<dt>My key doesn't seem to be working or I get a "permission denied."</dt>
e4fa2e82 438<dd><p>Like every other file or folder, gpg keys are subject to permissions. If these are not set correctly, your system may not be accepting your keys. You can follow the next steps to check, and update to the right permissions.</p>
19bce4d7 439
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440<p># Check your permissions: <span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">ls -l ~/.gnupg/*</span></p>
441<p># Set permissions to read, write, execute for only yourself, no others. These are the recommended permissions for your folder. <br/>
442You can use the code <span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">chmod 700 ~/.gnupg</span></p>
443<p># Set permissions to read and write for yourself only, no others. These are the recommended permissions for the keys inside your folder. <br/>
444You can use the code: <span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">chmod 600 ~/.gnupg/*</span></p>
19bce4d7 445
e4fa2e82 446<p class="notes">If you have (for any reason) created your own folders inside ~/.gnupg, you must also additionally apply execute permissions to that folder. Folders require execution privileges to be opened. For more information on permissions, you can check out <a href="https://helpdeskgeek.com/linux-tips/understanding-linux-permissions-chmod-usage/">this detailed information guide</a>.</p>
7b83f7f9 447</dd>
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448<dt class="feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?</dt>
449<dd class="feedback">Please let us know on the <a
450href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
451page</a>.</dd>
452</dl>
453
454</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
455
456<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
457<div class="troubleshooting">
458
459<h4>Advanced</h4>
460
461<dl>
7b83f7f9 462<dt>More about keyservers</dt>
463<dd>You can find some more keyserver information<a
803e8e2e 464href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x457.html"> in this manual</a>. <a
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465href="https://sks-keyservers.net/overview-of-pools.php">The sks Web site</a>
466maintains a list of highly interconnected keyservers. You can also <a
467href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x56.html#AEN64">directly export
468your key</a> as a file on your computer.</dd>
7b83f7f9 469
470<dt>Transferring your keys</dt>
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471<dd>
472<p>Use the following commands to transfer your keys. To avoid getting your key compromised, store it in a safe place, and make sure that if it is transferred, it is done so in a trusted way. Importing and exporting a key can be done with the following commands:</p>
7b83f7f9 473
e4fa2e82 474<p><span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">
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475$ gpg --export-secret-keys -a [keyID] > my_private_key.asc<br/>
476$ gpg --export -a [keyID] > my_public_key.asc<br/>
64f8f564 477$ gpg --import my_private_key.asc<br/>
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478$ gpg --import my_public_key.asc
479</span></p>
7b83f7f9 480
35f08087 481<p>Ensure that the keyID printed is the correct one, and if so, then go ahead and add ultimate trust for it:</p>
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482
483<p><span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">
35f08087 484$ gpg --edit-key [your@email]
e4fa2e82 485</span></p>
7b83f7f9 486
e4fa2e82 487<p>Because this is your key, you should choose <span style="color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">ultimate</span>. You shouldn't trust anyone else's key ultimately.</p>
80b64e11 488
a4eb3926 489<p class="notes"> Refer to <a href="#step-2b">troubleshoot in step 2.B</a> for more information on permissions. When transferring keys, your permissions may get mixed, and errors may be prompted. These are easily avoided when your folders and files have the right permissions</p>
7b83f7f9 490</dd>
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491</dl>
492
493</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
494</div><!-- End .main -->
495</div><!-- End #step-2b .step -->
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496</div></section><!-- End #section2 -->
497
7b83f7f9 498<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 3: Set up email encryption ~~~~~~~~~ -->
499<section id="section3" class="row"><div>
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500
501<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
502<div class="section-intro">
503
7b83f7f9 504<h2><em>#3</em> Set up email encryption</h2>
64f8f564 505<p class="notes">The Icedove (or Thunderbird) email program has PGP functionality integrated, which makes it pretty easy to work with. We'll take you through the steps of integrating and using your key in these email clients.</p>
7b83f7f9 506
507</div><!-- End .section-intro -->
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508
509<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 510<div id="step-3a" class="step">
511<div class="sidebar">
512
14c5f099 513<p><img src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-open-key-manager.png"
fedfd572 514alt="Step 3.A: Email Menu" /></p>
cf02c02f 515<br />
14c5f099 516<p><img src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-import-from-file.png"
7b83f7f9 517alt="Step 3.A: Import From File" /></p>
cf02c02f 518<br />
14c5f099 519<p><img src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-success.png"
7b83f7f9 520alt="Step 3.A: Success" /></p>
40833450 521<br />
14c5f099 522<p><img src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-troubleshoot.png"
40833450 523alt="Step 3.A: Troubleshoot" /></p>
7b83f7f9 524</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
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525<div class="main">
526
7b83f7f9 527<h3><em>Step 3.a</em> Set up your email with encryption</h3>
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528
529<p>Once you have set up your email with encryption, you can start contributing to encrypted traffic on the Internet. First we'll get your email client to import your secret key, and we will also learn how to get other people's public keys from servers so you can send and receive encrypted email.</p>
19bce4d7 530
35f08087 531<p># Open your email client and use "Tools" &rarr; <span style="color:#2f5faa;">OpenPGP Manager</span></p>
eacc6df3 532<p># Under "File" &rarr; <span style="color:#2f5faa;">Import Secret Key(s) From File</span></p>
7b83f7f9 533<p># Select the file you saved under the name [my_secret_key.asc] in step <a href="#step-3b">step 3.b</a> when you exported your key</p>
534<p># Unlock with your passphrase</p>
535<p># You will receive a "OpenPGP keys successfully imported" window to confirm success</p>
eacc6df3 536<p># Go to "Edit" (in Icedove) or "Tools" (in Thunderbird) &rarr; "Account settings" &rarr; "End-To-End Encryption," and make sure your key is imported and select <span style="color:#2f5faa;">Treat this key as a Personal Key</span>.</p>
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537
538</div><!-- End .main -->
19bce4d7 539
7b83f7f9 540<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 541<div class="main">
542<div class="troubleshooting">
543<h4>Troubleshooting</h4>
544<dl>
545<dt>I'm not sure the import worked correctly</dt>
546<dd>
eacc6df3 547Look for "Account settings" &rarr; "End-To-End Encryption" (Under "Edit" (in Icedove) or "Tools" (in Thunderbird)). Here you can see if your personal key associated with this email is found. If it is not, you can try again via the <span style="color:#2f5faa;">Add key</span> option. Make sure you have the correct, active, secret key file.
7b83f7f9 548</dd>
549
550<dt class="feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?</dt>
551<dd class="feedback">Please let us know on the <a
552href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
553page</a>.</dd>
554</dl>
555
556</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
557</div><!-- End .main -->
558</div><!-- End #step3-a .step -->
559</div></section><!-- End #section3 -->
560
561<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 4: Try it out ~~~~~~~~~ -->
562<section class="row" id="section4"><div>
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563
564<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
565<div class="section-intro">
566
7b83f7f9 567<h2><em>#4</em> Try it out!</h2>
14c5f099 568<p><img style="float:right; width:250px; margin-bottom:20px;" src="../static/img/en/screenshots/section3-try-it-out.png" alt="Illustration of a person in a house with a cat connected to a server"/></p>
a4eb3926 569<p>Now you'll try a test correspondence with an FSF computer program named Edward,
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570who knows how to use encryption. Except where noted, these are the same
571steps you'd follow when corresponding with a real, live person.</p>
572
573<!-- <p>NOTE: Edward is currently having some technical difficulties, so he
574may take a long time to respond, or not respond at all. We're sorry about
575this and we're working hard to fix it. Your key will still work even without
576testing with Edward.</p> -->
577</div><!-- End .section-intro -->
578
579<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 580<div id="step-4a" class="step">
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581<div class="sidebar">
582
583<p><img
14c5f099 584src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step4a-send-key-to-Edward.png"
7b83f7f9 585alt="Step 4.A Send key to Edward." /></p>
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586
587</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
588<div class="main">
589
7b83f7f9 590<h3><em>Step 4.a</em> Send Edward your public key</h3>
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591
592<p>This is a special step that you won't have to do when corresponding
7b83f7f9 593with real people. In your email program's menu, go to "Tools" &rarr; "OpenPGP Key
a4eb3926 594Manager." You should see your key in the list that pops up. Right click
eacc6df3 595on your key and select <span style="color:#2f5faa;">Send Public Keys by Email</span>. This will create a new draft message, as if you had just hit the "Write" button, but in the attachment you will find your public keyfile.</p>
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596
597<p>Address the message to <a
598href="mailto:edward-en@fsf.org">edward-en@fsf.org</a>. Put at least one word
599(whatever you want) in the subject and body of the email. Don't send yet.</p>
600
eacc6df3 601<p>We want Edward to be able to open the email with your keyfile, so we want this first special message to be unencrypted. Make sure encryption is turned off by using the dropdown menu "Security" and select <span style="color:#2f5faa">Do Not Encrypt</span>. Once encryption is off, hit Send.</p>
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602
603<p class="notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
604respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the <a
b7f7b4a2 605href="#section6">Use it Well</a> section of this guide. Once you have received a response,
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606head to the next step. From here on, you'll be doing just the same thing as
607when corresponding with a real person.</p>
608
7b83f7f9 609<p>When you open Edward's reply, GnuPG may prompt you for your passphrase
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610before using your private key to decrypt it.</p>
611
612</div><!-- End .main -->
7b83f7f9 613</div><!-- End #step-4a .step -->
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614
615<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 616<div id="step-4b" class="step">
617<div class="sidebar">
19bce4d7 618
7b83f7f9 619<p><img
14c5f099 620src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step4b-option1-verify-key.png"
7b83f7f9 621alt="Step 4.B Option 1. Verify key" /></p>
19bce4d7 622
cf02c02f 623<br />
7b83f7f9 624<p><img
14c5f099 625src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step4b-option2-import-key.png"
7b83f7f9 626alt="Step 4.B Option 2. Import key" /></p>
627</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
19bce4d7 628
7b83f7f9 629<div class="main">
19bce4d7 630
7b83f7f9 631<h3><em>Step 4.b</em> Send a test encrypted email</h3>
632<h6>Get Edward's key</h6>
80b64e11 633<p>To encrypt an email to Edward, you need its public key, so now you'll have
7b83f7f9 634to download it from a keyserver. You can do this in two different ways:</p>
4f41943f 635<p><strong>Option 1.</strong> In the email answer you received from Edward as a response to your first email, Edward's public key was included. On the right of the email, just above the writing area, you will find an "OpenPGP" button that has a lock and a little wheel next to it. Click that, and select <span style="color:#2f5faa">Discover</span> next to the text: "This message was sent with a key that you don't have yet." A popup with Edward's key details will follow.</p>
19bce4d7 636
4f41943f 637<p><strong>Option 2.</strong> Open your OpenPGP manager and under "Keyserver" choose <span style="color:#2f5faa">Discover Keys Online</span>. Here, fill in Edward's email address, and import Edward's key.</p>
19bce4d7 638
eacc6df3 639<p>The option <span style="color:#2f5faa">Accepted (unverified)</span> will add this key to your key manager, and now it can be used to send encrypted emails and to verify digital signatures from Edward.</p>
19bce4d7 640
b7f7b4a2 641<p class="notes">In the popup window confirming if you want to import Edward's key, you'll see many different emails that are all associated with its key. This is correct; you can safely import the key.</p>
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642
643<p class="notes">Since you encrypted this email with Edward's public key,
644Edward's private key is required to decrypt it. Edward is the only one with
80b64e11 645its private key, so no one except Edward can decrypt it.</p>
19bce4d7 646
7b83f7f9 647<br />
a4eb3926 648<h6>Send Edward an encrypted email</h6>
7b83f7f9 649
a4eb3926 650<p> Write a new email in your email program, addressed to <a
7b83f7f9 651href="mailto:edward-en@fsf.org">edward-en@fsf.org</a>. Make the subject
652"Encryption test" or something similar and write something in the body.</p>
653
eacc6df3 654<p>This time, make sure encryption is turned on by using the dropdown menu "Security" and select <span style="color:#2f5faa">Require Encryption</span>. Once encryption is on, hit Send.</p>
7b83f7f9 655
656<br />
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657
658<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
659<div class="troubleshooting">
660
661<h4>Troubleshooting</h4>
662
663<dl>
7b83f7f9 664<dt>"Recipients not valid, not trusted or not found"</dt>
80b64e11 665<dd>You may be trying to send an encrypted email to someone when you do not have their public key yet. Make sure you follow the steps above to import the key to your key manager. Open OpenPGP Key Manager to make sure the recipient is listed there.</dd>
7b83f7f9 666
667<dt>Unable to send message</dt>
eacc6df3 668<dd>You could get the following message when trying to send your encrypted email: "Unable to send this message with end-to-end encryption, because there are problems with the keys of the following recipients: edward-en@fsf.org." This usually means you imported the key with the "unaccepted (unverified) option." Go to the "key properties" of this key by right clicking on the key in the OpenPGP Key Manager, and select the option <span style="color:#2f5faa">Yes, but I have not verified that this is the correct key</span> in the "Acceptance" option at the bottom of this window. Resend the email.</dd>
7b83f7f9 669
670<dt>I can't find Edward's key</dt>
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671<dd>Close the pop-ups that have appeared since you clicked Send. Make sure
672you are connected to the Internet and try again. If that doesn't work, repeat
673the process, choosing a different keyserver when it asks you to pick one.</dd>
674
675<dt>Unscrambled messages in the Sent folder</dt>
676<dd>Even though you can't decrypt messages encrypted to someone else's key,
677your email program will automatically save a copy encrypted to your public key,
678which you'll be able to view from the Sent folder like a normal email. This
679is normal, and it doesn't mean that your email was not sent encrypted.</dd>
680
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681<dt class="feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?</dt>
682<dd class="feedback">Please let us know on the <a
683href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
684page</a>.</dd>
685</dl>
686
687</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
688
689<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
690<div class="troubleshooting">
691
692<h4>Advanced</h4>
693
694<dl>
695<dt>Encrypt messages from the command line</dt>
696<dd>You can also encrypt and decrypt messages and files from the <a
697href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x110.html">command line</a>,
698if that's your preference. The option --armor makes the encrypted output
699appear in the regular character set.</dd>
700</dl>
701
702</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
703</div><!-- End .main -->
7b83f7f9 704</div><!-- End #step-4b .step -->
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705
706<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
707<div id="step-headers_unencrypted" class="step">
708<div class="main">
709
710<h3><em>Important:</em> Security tips</h3>
19e80165 711
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712<p>Even if you encrypt your email, the subject line is not encrypted, so
713don't put private information there. The sending and receiving addresses
714aren't encrypted either, so a surveillance system can still figure out who
715you're communicating with. Also, surveillance agents will know that you're
716using GnuPG, even if they can't figure out what you're saying. When you
7b83f7f9 717send attachments, you can choose to encrypt them or not,
19bce4d7 718independent of the actual email.</p>
bdf319c4 719
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720<p>For greater security against potential attacks, you can turn off
721HTML. Instead, you can render the message body as plain text. In order
fedfd572 722to do this in Icedove or Thunderbird, go to View &gt; Message Body As &gt; Plain
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723Text.</p>
724
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725</div><!-- End .main -->
726</div><!-- End #step-headers_unencrypted .step-->
d85363e7 727
19bce4d7 728<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 729<div id="step-4c" class="step">
730<div class="sidebar">
731
732<p><img
14c5f099 733src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step4c-Edward-response.png"
7b83f7f9 734alt="Step 4.C Edward's response" /></p>
735
736</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
737
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738<div class="main">
739
7b83f7f9 740<h3><em>Step 4.c</em> Receive a response</h3>
19bce4d7 741
80b64e11 742<p>When Edward receives your email, it will use its private key to decrypt
f54f2134 743it, then reply to you. </p>
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744
745<p class="notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
746respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the <a
7b83f7f9 747href="#section6">Use it Well</a> section of this guide.</p>
748
169c7097 749<p>Edward will send you an encrypted email back saying your email was received and decrypted. Your email client will automatically decrypt Edward's message.</p>
7b83f7f9 750
f2545138 751<p class="notes">The OpenPGP button in the email will show a little green checkmark over the lock symbol to show the message is encrypted, and a little orange warning sign which means that you have accepted the key, but not verified it. When you have not yet accepted the key, you will see a little question mark there. Clicking the prompts in this button will lead you to key properties as well.</p>
19bce4d7 752
19bce4d7 753</div><!-- End .main -->
7b83f7f9 754</div><!-- End #step-4c .step -->
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755
756<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 757<div id="step-4d" class="step">
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758<div class="main">
759
80b64e11 760<h3><em>Step 4.d</em> Send a signed test email</h3>
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761
762<p>GnuPG includes a way for you to sign messages and files, verifying that
763they came from you and that they weren't tampered with along the way. These
764signatures are stronger than their pen-and-paper cousins -- they're impossible
765to forge, because they're impossible to create without your private key
766(another reason to keep your private key safe).</p>
767
768<p>You can sign messages to anyone, so it's a great way to make people
769aware that you use GnuPG and that they can communicate with you securely. If
770they don't have GnuPG, they will be able to read your message and see your
771signature. If they do have GnuPG, they'll also be able to verify that your
772signature is authentic.</p>
773
a4eb3926 774<p>To sign an email to Edward, compose any message to the email address and click the
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775pencil icon next to the lock icon so that it turns gold. If you sign a
776message, GnuPG may ask you for your password before it sends the message,
777because it needs to unlock your private key for signing.</p>
778
eacc6df3 779<p>In "Account Settings" &rarr; "End-To-End-Encryption" you can opt to <span style="color:#2f5faa">add digital signature by default</span>.</p>
19bce4d7 780
7b83f7f9 781</div><!-- End .main -->
782</div><!-- End #step-4d .step -->
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783
784<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 785<div id="step-4e" class="step">
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786<div class="main">
787
7b83f7f9 788<h3><em>Step 4.e</em> Receive a response</h3>
19bce4d7 789
f54f2134
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790<p>When Edward receives your email, he will use your public key (which
791you sent him in <a href="#step-3a">Step 3.A</a>) to verify the message
80b64e11 792you sent has not been tampered with and to encrypt a reply to you.</p>
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793
794<p class="notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
795respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the <a
7b83f7f9 796href="#section6">Use it Well</a> section of this guide.</p>
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797
798<p>Edward's reply will arrive encrypted, because he prefers to use encryption
799whenever possible. If everything goes according to plan, it should say
800"Your signature was verified." If your test signed email was also encrypted,
801he will mention that first.</p>
802
7b83f7f9 803<p>When you receive Edward's email and open it, your email client will
f54f2134
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804automatically detect that it is encrypted with your public key, and
805then it will use your private key to decrypt it.</p>
806
19bce4d7 807</div><!-- End .main -->
7b83f7f9 808</div><!-- End #step-4e .step -->
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809</div></section>
810
803e8e2e 811<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 5: Learn About the Web of Trust ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 812<section class="row" id="section5"><div>
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813
814<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
815<div class="section-intro">
816
b7f7b4a2 817<h2><em>#5</em> Learn about the Web of Trust</h2>
1805f65d 818<p><img style="float:right; width:250px; margin-bottom:20px;" src="../static/img/en/screenshots/section5-web-of-trust.png" alt="Illustration of keys all interconnected with a web of lines"/></p>
19bce4d7 819
b7f7b4a2 820<p>Email encryption is a powerful technology, but it has a weakness:
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821it requires a way to verify that a person's public key is actually
822theirs. Otherwise, there would be no way to stop an attacker from making
b7f7b4a2 823an email address with your friend's name, creating keys to go with it, and
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824impersonating your friend. That's why the free software programmers that
825developed email encryption created keysigning and the Web of Trust.</p>
826
827<p>When you sign someone's key, you are publicly saying that you've verified
828that it belongs to them and not someone else.</p>
829
830<p>Signing keys and signing messages use the same type of mathematical
831operation, but they carry very different implications. It's a good practice
832to generally sign your email, but if you casually sign people's keys, you
833may accidently end up vouching for the identity of an imposter.</p>
834
835<p>People who use your public key can see who has signed it. Once you've
836used GnuPG for a long time, your key may have hundreds of signatures. You
837can consider a key to be more trustworthy if it has many signatures from
838people that you trust. The Web of Trust is a constellation of GnuPG users,
839connected to each other by chains of trust expressed through signatures.</p>
840
841</div><!-- End .section-intro -->
842
843<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 844<div id="step-5a" class="step">
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845<div class="sidebar">
846
847<p><img
14c5f099 848src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step5a-key-properties.png"
7b83f7f9 849alt="Section 5: trusting a key" /></p>
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850
851</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
852<div class="main">
853
7b83f7f9 854<h3><em>Step 5.a</em> Sign a key</h3>
19bce4d7 855
eacc6df3 856<p>In your email program's menu, go to OpenPGP Key Manager and select <span style="color:#2f5faa">Key properties</span> by right clicking on Edward's key.</p>
19bce4d7 857
eacc6df3 858<p>Under "Your Acceptance," you can select <span style="color:#2f5faa">Yes, I've verified in person this key has the correct fingerprint"</span>.</p>
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859
860<p class="notes">You've just effectively said "I trust that Edward's public
861key actually belongs to Edward." This doesn't mean much because Edward isn't
b7f7b4a2 862a real person, but it's good practice, and for real people it is important. You can read more about signing a person's key in the <a href="#check-ids-before-signing">check IDs before signing</a> section.</p>
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863
864<!--<div id="pgp-pathfinder">
865
866<form enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded" action="/mk_path.cgi"
867method="get">
868
f211d856 869<p><strong>From:</strong><input type="text" value="xD41A008"
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870name="FROM"></p>
871
f211d856 872<p><strong>To:</strong><input type="text" value="50BD01x4" name="TO"></p>
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873
874<p class="buttons"><input type="submit" value="trust paths" name="PATHS"><input
875type="reset" value="reset" name=".reset"></p>
876
877</form>
878
879</div>End #pgp-pathfinder -->
880</div><!-- End .main -->
7b83f7f9 881</div><!-- End #step-5a .step -->
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882
883<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
884<div id="step-identify_keys" class="step">
885<div class="main">
886
887<h3>Identifying keys: Fingerprints and IDs</h3>
888
889<p>People's public keys are usually identified by their key fingerprint,
890which is a string of digits like F357AA1A5B1FA42CFD9FE52A9FF2194CC09A61E8
891(for Edward's key). You can see the fingerprint for your public key, and
7b83f7f9 892other public keys saved on your computer, by going to OpenPGP Key
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893Management in your email program's menu, then right clicking on the key
894and choosing Key Properties. It's good practice to share your fingerprint
895wherever you share your email address, so that people can double-check that
896they have the correct public key when they download yours from a keyserver.</p>
897
c0c01f86 898<p class="notes">You may also see public keys referred to by a shorter
a4eb3926 899keyID. This keyID is visible directly from the Key Management
900window. These eight character keyIDs were previously used for
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901identification, which used to be safe, but is no longer reliable. You
902need to check the full fingerprint as part of verifying you have the
903correct key for the person you are trying to contact. Spoofing, in
904which someone intentionally generates a key with a fingerprint whose
905final eight characters are the same as another, is unfortunately
906common.</p>
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907
908</div><!-- End .main -->
909</div><!-- End #step-identify_keys .step-->
910
911<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
912<div id="check-ids-before-signing" class="step">
913<div class="main">
914
915<h3><em>Important:</em> What to consider when signing keys</h3>
916
917<p>Before signing a person's key, you need to be confident that it actually
918belongs to them, and that they are who they say they are. Ideally, this
919confidence comes from having interactions and conversations with them over
920time, and witnessing interactions between them and others. Whenever signing
921a key, ask to see the full public key fingerprint, and not just the shorter
a4eb3926 922keyID. If you feel it's important to sign the key of someone you've just
19bce4d7 923met, also ask them to show you their government identification, and make
7b83f7f9 924sure the name on the ID matches the name on the public key.</p>
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925
926<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
927<div class="troubleshooting">
928
929<h4>Advanced</h4>
930
931<dl>
932<dt>Master the Web of Trust</dt>
933<dd>Unfortunately, trust does not spread between users the way <a
6003a573 934href="https://fennetic.net/irc/finney.org/~hal/web_of_trust.html">many people
a4eb3926 935think</a>. One of the best ways to strengthen the GnuPG community is to deeply <a
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936href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x334.html">understand</a> the Web of
937Trust and to carefully sign as many people's keys as circumstances permit.</dd>
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938</dl>
939
940</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
941</div><!-- End .main -->
942</div><!-- End #check-ids-before-signing .step-->
7b83f7f9 943</div></section><!-- End #section5 -->
d85363e7 944
7b83f7f9 945<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 6: Use it well ~~~~~~~~~ -->
946<section id="section6" class="row"><div>
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947
948<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
949<div class="section-intro">
950
7b83f7f9 951<h2><em>#6</em> Use it well</h2>
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952
953<p>Everyone uses GnuPG a little differently, but it's important to follow
954some basic practices to keep your email secure. Not following them, you
955risk the privacy of the people you communicate with, as well as your own,
956and damage the Web of Trust.</p>
957
958</div><!-- End .section-intro -->
959
960<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 961<div id="step-6a" class="step">
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962<div class="sidebar">
963
964<p><img
1805f65d 965src="../static/img/en/screenshots/section6-01-use-it-well.png"
7b83f7f9 966alt="Section 6: Use it Well (1)" /></p>
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967
968</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
969<div class="main">
970
971<h3>When should I encrypt? When should I sign?</h3>
972
973<p>The more you can encrypt your messages, the better. If you only encrypt
974emails occasionally, each encrypted message could raise a red flag for
975surveillance systems. If all or most of your email is encrypted, people
976doing surveillance won't know where to start. That's not to say that only
977encrypting some of your email isn't helpful -- it's a great start and it
978makes bulk surveillance more difficult.</p>
979
980<p>Unless you don't want to reveal your own identity (which requires other
981protective measures), there's no reason not to sign every message, whether or
982not you are encrypting. In addition to allowing those with GnuPG to verify
983that the message came from you, signing is a non-intrusive way to remind
984everyone that you use GnuPG and show support for secure communication. If you
985often send signed messages to people that aren't familiar with GnuPG, it's
986nice to also include a link to this guide in your standard email signature
987(the text kind, not the cryptographic kind).</p>
988
989</div><!-- End .main -->
7b83f7f9 990</div><!-- End #step-6a .step -->
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991
992<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 993<div id="step-6b" class="step">
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994<div class="sidebar">
995
996<p><img
1805f65d 997src="../static/img/en/screenshots/section6-02-use-it-well.png"
7b83f7f9 998alt="Section 6: Use it Well (2)" /></p>
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999
1000</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
1001<div class="main">
1002
1003<h3>Be wary of invalid keys</h3>
1004
1005<p>GnuPG makes email safer, but it's still important to watch out for invalid
1006keys, which might have fallen into the wrong hands. Email encrypted with
1007invalid keys might be readable by surveillance programs.</p>
1008
1009<p>In your email program, go back to the first encrypted email that Edward
1010sent you. Because Edward encrypted it with your public key, it will have a
80b64e11 1011green checkmark a at the top "OpenPGP" button.</p>
19bce4d7 1012
7b83f7f9 1013<p><b>When using GnuPG, make a habit of glancing at that button. The program
4227f3fd 1014will warn you there if you get an email signed with a key that can't
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1015be trusted.</b></p>
1016
1017</div><!-- End .main -->
7b83f7f9 1018</div><!-- End #step-6b .step -->
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1019
1020<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 1021<div id="step-6c" class="step">
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1022<div class="main">
1023
1024<h3>Copy your revocation certificate to somewhere safe</h3>
1025
1026<p>Remember when you created your keys and saved the revocation certificate
80b64e11 1027that GnuPG made? It's time to copy that certificate onto the safest storage that you have -- a flash drive, disk, or hard drive stored in a safe place in your home could work, not on a device you carry with you regularly. The safest way we know is actually to print the revocation certificate and store it in a safe place.</p>
19bce4d7
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1028
1029<p>If your private key ever gets lost or stolen, you'll need this certificate
1030file to let people know that you are no longer using that keypair.</p>
1031
1032</div><!-- End .main -->
7b83f7f9 1033</div><!-- End #step-6c .step -->
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1034
1035<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1036<div id="step-lost_key" class="step">
1037<div class="main">
1038
b7f7b4a2 1039<h3><em>IMPORTANT:</em> ACT SWIFTLY if someone gets your private key</h3>
19bce4d7 1040
b7f7b4a2 1041<p>If you lose your private key or someone else gets a hold
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1042of it (say, by stealing or cracking your computer), it's
1043important to revoke it immediately before someone else uses
1044it to read your encrypted email or forge your signature. This
1045guide doesn't cover how to revoke a key, but you can follow these <a
1046href="https://www.hackdiary.com/2004/01/18/revoking-a-gpg-key/">instructions</a>.
1047After you're done revoking, make a new key and send an email to everyone
1048with whom you usually use your key to make sure they know, including a copy
1049of your new key.</p>
1050
1051</div><!-- End .main -->
1052</div><!-- End #step-lost_key .step-->
1053
35f08087 1054<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
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1055<div id="webmail-and-GnuPG" class="step">
1056<div class="main">
1057
1058<h3>Webmail and GnuPG</h3>
1059
1060<p>When you use a web browser to access your email, you're using webmail,
1061an email program stored on a distant website. Unlike webmail, your desktop
1062email program runs on your own computer. Although webmail can't decrypt
1063encrypted email, it will still display it in its encrypted form. If you
1064primarily use webmail, you'll know to open your email client when you receive
1065a scrambled email.</p>
1066
1067</div><!-- End .main -->
1068</div><!-- End #webmail-and-GnuPG .step-->
1069
35f08087 1070<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 1071<div id="step-6d" class="step">
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1072<div class="main">
1073
1074<h3>Make your public key part of your online identity</h3>
1075
1076<p> First add your public key fingerprint to your email signature, then
1077compose an email to at least five of your friends, telling them you just
1078set up GnuPG and mentioning your public key fingerprint. Link to this guide
1079and ask them to join you. Don't forget that there's also an awesome <a
1080href="infographic.html">infographic to share.</a></p>
1081
1082<p class="notes">Start writing your public key fingerprint anywhere someone
1083would see your email address: your social media profiles, blog, Website,
1084or business card. (At the Free Software Foundation, we put ours on our
1085<a href="https://fsf.org/about/staff">staff page</a>.) We need to get our
1086culture to the point that we feel like something is missing when we see an
1087email address without a public key fingerprint.</p>
1088
35f08087 1089</div><!-- End .main-->
1090</div><!-- End #step-6d .step-->
7b83f7f9 1091</div></section><!-- End #section6 -->
19bce4d7 1092
7b83f7f9 1093<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 7: Next steps ~~~~~~~~~ -->
b7f7b4a2 1094<section class="row" id="section7">
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1095<div id="step-click_here" class="step">
1096<div class="main">
0a225228 1097
19bce4d7 1098<h2><a href="next_steps.html">Great job! Check out the next steps.</a></h2>
bb28ee32 1099
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1100</div><!-- End .main -->
1101</div><!-- End #step-click_here .step-->
7b83f7f9 1102</section><!-- End #section7 -->
bdf319c4 1103
19bce4d7 1104<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ FAQ ~~~~~~~~~ -->
f44dd62f 1105<!-- When un-commenting this section go to main.css and search
116f80c3 1106for /* Guide Sections Background */ then add #faq to the desired color
19bce4d7 1107<section class="row" id="faq"><div>
116f80c3 1108<div class="sidebar">
19bce4d7 1109
116f80c3 1110<h2>FAQ</h2>
6c495e2d 1111
19bce4d7 1112</div>
116f80c3 1113<div class="main">
19bce4d7 1114
116f80c3
ZR
1115<dl>
1116<dt>My key expired</dt>
1117<dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
6c495e2d 1118
116f80c3
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1119<dt>Who can read encrypted messages? Who can read signed ones?</dt>
1120<dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
6c495e2d 1121
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1122<dt>My email program is opening at times I don't want it to open/is now my
1123default program and I don't want it to be.</dt>
116f80c3
ZR
1124<dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1125</dl>
19bce4d7 1126
116f80c3
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1127</div>
1128</div>
1129</section> --><!-- End #faq -->
bdf319c4 1130
19bce4d7
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1131<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Footer ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1132<footer class="row" id="footer"><div>
1133<div id="copyright">
1134
1135<h4><a href="https://u.fsf.org/ys"><img
1136alt="Free Software Foundation"
14c5f099 1137src="../static/img/fsf-logo.png" /></a></h4>
19bce4d7 1138
37d0bc33 1139<p>Copyright &copy; 2014-2021 <a
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1140href="https://u.fsf.org/ys">Free Software Foundation</a>, Inc. <a
1141href="https://my.fsf.org/donate/privacypolicy.html">Privacy Policy</a>. Please
1142support our work by <a href="https://u.fsf.org/yr">joining us as an associate
1143member.</a></p>
1144
1145<p>The images on this page are under a <a
1146href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons
1147Attribution 4.0 license (or later version)</a>, and the rest of it is under
1148a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0">Creative Commons
1149Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license (or later version)</a>. Download the <a
6003a573 1150href="https://agpl.fsf.org/emailselfdefense.fsf.org/edward/CURRENT/edward.tar.gz">
f211d856 1151source code of Edward reply bot</a> by Andrew Engelbrecht
a3a9a0ac 1152&lt;andrew@engelbrecht.io&gt; and Josh Drake &lt;zamnedix@gnu.org&gt;,
19bce4d7 1153available under the GNU Affero General Public License. <a
6003a573 1154href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#OtherLicenses">Why these
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1155licenses?</a></p>
1156
1157<p>Fonts used in the guide &amp; infographic: <a
1158href="https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Dosis">Dosis</a> by Pablo
6003a573 1159Impallari, <a href="https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Signika">Signika</a>
19bce4d7 1160by Anna Giedry&#347;, <a
6003a573 1161href="https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Archivo+Narrow">Archivo
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1162Narrow</a> by Omnibus-Type, <a
1163href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Graphics_Howto#Pitfalls">PXL-2000</a>
1164by Florian Cramer.</p>
1165
1166<p>Download the <a href="emailselfdefense_source.zip">source package</a>
1167for this guide, including fonts, image source files and the text of Edward's
1168messages.</p>
1169
1170<p>This site uses the Weblabels standard for labeling <a
1171href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/freejs">free JavaScript</a>. View
abf30801 1172the JavaScript <a href="https://weblabels.fsf.org/emailselfdefense.fsf.org/"
19bce4d7
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1173rel="jslicense">source code and license information</a>.</p>
1174
1175</div><!-- /#copyright -->
1176
1177<p class="credits">Infographic and guide design by <a rel="external"
6003a573 1178href="https://jplusplus.org"><strong>Journalism++</strong><img
138192ae 1179src="static/img/jplusplus.png"
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1180alt="Journalism++" /></a></p><!-- /.credits -->
1181</div></footer><!-- End #footer -->
116f80c3 1182
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