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5<title>Email Self-Defense - a guide to fighting surveillance with GnuPG
6encryption</title>
7<meta name="keywords" content="GnuPG, GPG, openpgp, surveillance, privacy,
77aea16c 8email, security, GnuPG2, encryption" />
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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" />
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db4fb2f0 18
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to Enigmail's PGP functionality being migrated into Icedove and Thunderbird, steps 2 and 3 of the guide are currently out of date.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 -->
6b3fb780 22
701d3bdd 23
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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">
de17dfbe 32<li><a class="current" href="/en">English - v5.0</a></li>
7c252a78 33<li><a href="/es">español - v5.0</a></li>
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34<li><a href="/fr">français - v5.0</a></li>
35<li><a href="/tr">Türkçe - v5.0</a></li>
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42<li><a href="/pl">polski - v5.0</a></li>
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a78dcf32 44<li><a href="/ro">română - v3.0</a></li>-->
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46<li><a href="/sq">Shqip - v5.0</a></li>
47<!--<li><a href="/sv">svenska - v4.0</a></li>-->
9edd68b4 48<li><a href="/zh-hans">简体中文 - v5.0</a></li>
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49<li><strong><a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Translation_Guide">
50Translate!</a></strong></li>
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51</ul>
52
53<ul id="menu" class="os">
37d0bc33 54<li class="spacer"><a href="index.html" class="current">Set up guide</a></li>
55<!--<li><a href="mac.html">Mac OS</a></li>-->
56<!--<li><a href="windows.html">Windows</a></li>-->
f211d856 57<li class="spacer"><a href="workshops.html">Teach your friends</a></li>
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58<li class="spacer"><a
59href="http://hhldo3tnt5solzj2bwfvh7xm4slk2forpjwjyemhcfrlob5gq75gioid.onion/en"
60target="_blank">This site's tor onion service</a></li>
f211d856 61<li class="spacer"><a
770452f9 62href="https://fsf.org/share?u=https://u.fsf.org/zb&amp;t=Email%20encryption%20for%20everyone%20via%20%40fsf">
f211d856 63Share&nbsp;
14c5f099 64<img src="../static/img/gnu-social.png" class="share-logo"
19bce4d7 65alt="[GNU Social]" />&nbsp;
14c5f099 66<img src="../static/img/mastodon.png" class="share-logo"
d06ce723 67alt="[Mastodon]" />&nbsp;
14c5f099 68<img src="../static/img/reddit-alien.png" class="share-logo"
19bce4d7 69alt="[Reddit]" />&nbsp;
14c5f099 70<img src="../static/img/hacker-news.png" class="share-logo"
f211d856 71alt="[Hacker News]" /></a></li>
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72</ul>
73
74<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ FSF Introduction ~~~~~~~~~ -->
75<div id="fsf-intro">
76
6003a573 77<h3><a href="https://u.fsf.org/ys"><img
19bce4d7 78alt="Free Software Foundation"
14c5f099 79src="../static/img/fsf-logo.png" />
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80</a></h3>
81
82<div class="fsf-emphasis">
83
84<p>We fight for computer users' rights, and promote the development of free (as
85in freedom) software. Resisting bulk surveillance is very important to us.</p>
86
87<p><strong>Please donate to support Email Self-Defense. We need to keep
88improving it, and making more materials, for the benefit of people around
89the world taking the first step towards protecting their privacy.</strong></p>
90
91</div>
92
d1f39676 93<div style="text-align: center;">
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94<p><a href="https://crm.fsf.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&amp;id=14&amp;mtm_campaign=email_self_defense&amp;mtm_kwd=guide_donate"><img alt="Donate" src="../static/img/en/donate.png" /></a></p>
95
d1f39676 96<h5>Sign up</h5>
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97<form action="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?reset=1&amp;gid=31" method="post">
98<p>Enter your email address to receive our monthly newsletter, the<br /><a href="https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/">Free Software Supporter</a></p>
d1f39676 99
100<p><input id="frmEmail" type="text" name="email-Primary" size="18" maxlength="80" /></p>
101<p><input type="submit" name="_qf_Edit_next" value="Subscribe me" /></p>
102<div><input name="postURL" type="hidden" value="" />
103<input type="hidden" name="group[25]" value="1" />
9162eaf3 104<input name="cancelURL" type="hidden" value="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile?reset=1&amp;gid=31" />
d1f39676 105<input name="_qf_default" type="hidden" value="Edit:cancel" />
106</div>
107</form></div>
64a48f78 108
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109</div><!-- End #fsf-intro -->
110
111<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Guide Introduction ~~~~~~~~~ -->
112<div class="intro">
113
114<p><a id="infographic" href="infographic.html"><img
14c5f099 115src="../static/img/en/infographic-button.png"
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116alt="View &amp; share our infographic &rarr;" /></a>
117Bulk surveillance violates our fundamental rights and makes free speech
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118risky. This guide will teach you a basic surveillance self-defense skill: email
119encryption. Once you've finished, you'll be able to send and receive emails
120that are scrambled to make sure a surveillance agent or thief intercepting
121your email can't read them. All you need is a computer with an Internet
122connection, an email account, and about forty minutes.</p>
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123
124<p>Even if you have nothing to hide, using encryption helps protect the privacy
125of people you communicate with, and makes life difficult for bulk surveillance
126systems. If you do have something important to hide, you're in good company;
127these are the same tools that whistleblowers use to protect their identities
80b64e11 128while shining light on human rights abuses, corruption, and other crimes.</p>
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129
130<p>In addition to using encryption, standing up
131to surveillance requires fighting politically for a <a
e59c77da 132href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html">reduction
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133in the amount of data collected on us</a>, but the essential first step is
134to protect yourself and make surveillance of your communication as difficult
135as possible. This guide helps you do that. It is designed for beginners, but
136if you already know the basics of GnuPG or are an experienced free software
137user, you'll enjoy the advanced tips and the <a href="workshops.html">guide
138to teaching your friends</a>.</p>
139
140</div><!-- End .intro -->
141</div></header><!-- End #header -->
142
143<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 1: Get the pieces ~~~~~~~~~ -->
144<section class="row" id="section1"><div>
145
146<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
147<div class="section-intro">
148
149<h2><em>#1</em> Get the pieces</h2>
150
151<p class="notes">This guide relies on software which is <a
152href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">freely licensed</a>;
153it's completely transparent and anyone can copy it or make their
154own version. This makes it safer from surveillance than proprietary
80b64e11 155software (like Windows or macOS). Learn more about free software at <a
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156href="https://u.fsf.org/ys">fsf.org</a>.</p>
157
c174e65c 158<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>
19bce4d7 159
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160</div><!-- End .section-intro -->
161
162<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
163<div id="step-1a" class="step">
164<div class="sidebar">
165
69e314de 166<p class="large"><img
14c5f099 167src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step1a-install-wizard.png"
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168alt="Step 1.A: Install Wizard" /></p>
169
170</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
171<div class="main">
172
173<h3><em>Step 1.a</em> Set up your email program with your email account</h3>
174
175<p>Open your email program and follow the wizard (step-by-step walkthrough)
37d0bc33 176that 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>
77aea16c 177
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178
179<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
180<div class="troubleshooting">
181
182<h4>Troubleshooting</h4>
183
184<dl>
185<dt>The wizard doesn't launch</dt>
186<dd>You can launch the wizard yourself, but the menu option for doing so is
187named differently in each email program. The button to launch it will be in
188the program's main menu, under "New" or something similar, titled something
189like "Add account" or "New/Existing email account."</dd>
190
191<dt>The wizard can't find my account or isn't downloading my mail</dt>
192<dd>Before searching the Web, we recommend you start by asking other people
193who use your email system, to figure out the correct settings.</dd>
194
b7f7b4a2 195<dt>I can't find the menu</dt>
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196<dd>In many new email programs, the main menu is represented by an image of
197three stacked horizontal bars.</dd>
198
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199<dt class="feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?</dt>
200<dd class="feedback">Please let us know on the <a
201href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
202page</a>.</dd>
203</dl>
204
205</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
206</div><!-- End .main -->
207</div><!-- End #step1-a .step -->
208
209<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
210<div id="step-1b" class="step">
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211<div class="main">
212
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213<h3><em>Step 1.b</em> Install GnuPG</h3>
214
215<p>If you are using a GNU/Linux machine, you should already have GnuPG installed, and you can skip to <a href="#section2">Section 2</a>.</p>
19bce4d7 216
63fe86d5 217<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 instructions. For the rest of this guide, the steps are the same for all operating systems. </p>
19bce4d7 218
37d0bc33 219<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ MACOS ~~~~~~~~~ -->
220<div class="troubleshooting">
19bce4d7 221
77aea16c 222<h4>macOS</h4>
64af8734 223
37d0bc33 224<dl>
225<dt>Use a third-party package manager to install GnuPG</dt>
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226<dd>
227<p>The default macOS package manager makes it difficult to install GnuPG and other pieces of free software (like Emacs, GIMP, or Inkscape). To make things easier, we recommend setting up the third-party package manager "Homebrew" to install GnuPG. For this, we will use a program called "Terminal," which is pre-installed on macOS.</p>
228
229<p># Copy the first command on the home page of <a href="https://brew.sh/">Homebrew</a> by clicking on the clipboard icon, and paste it in Terminal. Click "Enter" and wait for the installation to finalize.</p>
230<p># Then install GnuPG by entering the following code in Terminal:<br/>
231<code>brew install gnupg gnupg2</code></p>
232</dd>
37d0bc33 233</dl>
234
235</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
236
237<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ WINDOWS ~~~~~~~~~ -->
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238<div class="troubleshooting">
239
37d0bc33 240<h4>Windows</h4>
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241
242<dl>
37d0bc33 243<dt>Get GnuPG by downloading GPG4Win</dt>
b4a6695d 244<dd><p><a href="https://www.gpg4win.org/">GPG4Win</a> is an 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>
37d0bc33 245</dd>
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246</dl>
247
248</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
249</div><!-- End .main -->
37d0bc33 250</div><!-- End #step1-b .step -->
251
80b64e11 252<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
253<div id="terminology" class="step">
254<div class="main">
255
a4eb3926 256<h3>GnuPG, OpenPGP, what?</h3>
80b64e11 257
258<p>In general, the terms GnuPG, GPG, GNU Privacy Guard, OpenPGP and PGP
259are used interchangeably. Technically, OpenPGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is the
260encryption standard, and GNU Privacy Guard (often shortened to GPG or GnuPG)
261is 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>
262
263</div><!-- End .main -->
264</div><!-- End #terminology.step-->
265
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266</div></section><!-- End #section1 -->
267
268<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 2: Make your keys ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 269<section id="section2" class="row"><div>
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270
271<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
272<div class="section-intro">
273
274<h2><em>#2</em> Make your keys</h2>
69e314de 275<p class="float medium"><img 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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276
277<p>To use the GnuPG system, you'll need a public key and a private key (known
278together as a keypair). Each is a long string of randomly generated numbers
279and letters that are unique to you. Your public and private keys are linked
280together by a special mathematical function.</p>
281
282<p>Your public key isn't like a physical key, because it's stored in the open
283in an online directory called a keyserver. People download it and use it,
284along with GnuPG, to encrypt emails they send to you. You can think of the
285keyserver as a phonebook; people who want to send you encrypted email can
286look up your public key.</p>
287
288<p>Your private key is more like a physical key, because you keep it to
289yourself (on your computer). You use GnuPG and your private key together to
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290descramble encrypted emails other people send to you. <strong>You should never share your private key with anyone, under any
291circumstances.</strong></p>
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292
293<p>In addition to encryption and decryption, you can also use these keys to
294sign messages and check the authenticity of other people's signatures. We'll
295discuss this more in the next section.</p>
296
297</div><!-- End .section-intro -->
298
299<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
300<div id="step-2a" class="step">
301<div class="sidebar">
69e314de 302<p class="large"><img
14c5f099 303src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step2a-02-make-keypair.png"
35f08087 304alt="Step 2.A: Make your Keypair" /></p>
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305
306<p class="large"><img
14c5f099 307src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step2a-03-make-keypair.png"
7b83f7f9 308alt="Step 2.A: Set your passphrase" /></p>
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309
310</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
311<div class="main">
312
313<h3><em>Step 2.a</em> Make a keypair</h3>
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314
315<h4>Make your keypair</h4>
19bce4d7 316
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317<p>We will use the command line in a terminal to create a keypair using the
318GnuPG program.</p>
19bce4d7 319
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320<p class="notes">Whether on GNU/Linux, macOS or Windows, you can launch your
321terminal ("Terminal" in macOS, "PowerShell" in Windows) from the Applications
322menu (some GNU/Linux systems respond to the <kbd>Ctrl + Alt + T</kbd>
323shortcut).</p>
324
325<p># Enter <code>gpg --full-generate-key</code> to start the process.</p>
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326<p># To answer what kind of key you would like to create, select the default option: <samp>1&nbsp;RSA&nbsp;and&nbsp;RSA</samp>.</p>
327<p># Enter the following keysize: <code>4096</code> for a strong key.</p>
63fe86d5 328<p># Choose the expiration date; we suggest <code>2y</code> (2 years).</p>
e59c77da 329<p>Follow the prompts to continue setting up with your personal details.</p>
9162eaf3 330<p class="notes"> Depending on your version of GPG, you may need to use
67e74fa7 331<code>--gen-key</code> instead of <code>--full-generate-key</code>&#65279;.</p>
19bce4d7 332
77aea16c 333<h4>Set your passphrase</h4>
5440702c 334<p>On the screen titled "Passphrase," pick a strong passphrase! You can
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335do it manually, or you can use the Diceware method. Doing it manually
336is faster but not as secure. Using Diceware takes longer and requires
5440702c 337dice, but creates a passphrase that is much harder for attackers to figure
19bce4d7 338out. To use it, read the section "Make a secure passphrase with Diceware" in <a
f211d856 339href="https://theintercept.com/2015/03/26/passphrases-can-memorize-attackers-cant-guess/">
7b83f7f9 340this article</a> by Micah Lee.</p>
341
19bce4d7 342
7b83f7f9 343<p>If you'd like to pick a passphrase manually, come up with something
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344you can remember which is at least twelve characters long, and includes
345at least one lower case and upper case letter and at least one number or
5440702c 346punctuation symbol. Never pick a passphrase you've used elsewhere. Don't use
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347any recognizable patterns, such as birthdays, telephone numbers, pets' names,
348song lyrics, quotes from books, and so on.</p>
349
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350<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
351<div class="troubleshooting">
352
353<h4>Troubleshooting</h4>
19bce4d7 354<dl>
e59c77da 355<dt>GnuPG is not installed</dt>
7b83f7f9 356<dd>
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357You can check if this is the case with the command <code>gpg --version</code>&#65279;.
358If GnuPG is not installed, it will bring up the following result on most GNU/Linux operating systems, or something like it:
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359<samp>Command 'gpg' not found, but can be installed with:
360 sudo apt install gnupg</samp>. Follow that command and install the program.</dd>
7b83f7f9 361
061aad83 362<dt><i>gpg --full-generate-key</i> command not working</dt>
412a3134 363<dd>Some distributions use a different version of GPG. When you receive an error code that is something along the lines of: <samp>gpg: Invalid option "--full-generate-key"</samp>, you can try the following commands: <br />
061aad83 364<code>sudo apt update</code><br />
365<code>sudo apt install gnupg2</code><br />
366<code>gpg2 --full-generate-key</code><br />
a7ba22c6 367If this resolved the issue, you need to continue to use the gpg2 identifier instead of gpg throughout the following steps of the guide.
9162eaf3 368<p class="notes"> Depending on your version of GPG, you may need to use
67e74fa7 369<code>--gen-key</code> instead of <code>--full-generate-key</code>&#65279;.</p>
9162eaf3 370</dd>
061aad83 371
7b83f7f9 372<dt>I took too long to create my passphrase</dt>
b7f7b4a2 373<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 374
b7f7b4a2 375<dt>How can I see my key?</dt>
7b83f7f9 376<dd>
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377Use the following command to see all keys: <code>gpg --list-keys</code>&#65279;. Yours should be listed in there, and later, so will Edward's (<a href="#section3">Section 3</a>).<br />
378If you want to see only your key, you can use <code>gpg --list-key [your@email]</code>&#65279;.<br />
77aea16c 379You can also use <code>gpg --list-secret-key</code> to see your own private key.</dd>
19bce4d7 380
19bce4d7 381<dt>More resources</dt>
7b83f7f9 382<dd>For more information about this process, you can also refer to <a
383href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/c14.html#AEN25">The GNU Privacy
384Handbook</a>. Make sure you stick with "RSA and RSA" (the default),
385because it's newer and more secure than the algorithms the documentation
63fe86d5 386recommends. Also make sure your key is at least 4096&nbsp;bits if you
80b64e11 387want to be secure.</dd>
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388
389<dt class="feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?</dt>
390<dd class="feedback">Please let us know on the <a
391href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
392page</a>.</dd>
393</dl>
394
395</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
396
397<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
398<div class="troubleshooting">
399
400<h4>Advanced</h4>
19bce4d7 401<dl>
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402<dt>Advanced key pairs</dt>
403<dd>When GnuPG creates a new keypair, it compartmentalizes
404the encryption function from the signing function through <a
405href="https://wiki.debian.org/Subkeys">subkeys</a>. If you use
7b83f7f9 406subkeys carefully, you can keep your GnuPG identity more
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407secure and recover from a compromised key much more quickly. <a
408href="https://alexcabal.com/creating-the-perfect-gpg-keypair/">Alex Cabal</a>
6003a573 409and <a href="https://keyring.debian.org/creating-key.html">the Debian wiki</a>
19bce4d7 410provide good guides for setting up a secure subkey configuration.</dd>
64f8f564 411</dl>
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412
413</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
414</div><!-- End .main -->
415</div><!-- End #step-2a .step -->
416
417<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
418<div id="step-2b" class="step">
7b83f7f9 419<div class="sidebar">
69e314de 420<p class="large"><img
14c5f099 421src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step2b-04-upload-and-certificate.png"
80b64e11 422alt="Step 2.B: Send to server and generate a certificate" /></p>
19bce4d7 423
7b83f7f9 424</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
425<div class="main">
19bce4d7 426
7b83f7f9 427<h3><em>Step 2.b</em> Some important steps following creation</h3>
19bce4d7 428
77aea16c 429<h4>Upload your key to a keyserver</h4>
7b83f7f9 430<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
9c973564 431that you can select from the menu when you upload, but they are mostly all copies
432of each other. Any server will work, but it's good to remember which one you uploaded your key to originally. Also keep in mind, sometimes takes a few hours for them to match each other when a new key is uploaded.</p>
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433<p># Copy your keyID: <code>gpg --list-key [your@email]</code> 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>
434<p># Upload your key to a server:
435<code>gpg --send-key [keyID]</code></p>
7b83f7f9 436
77aea16c 437<h4>Export your key to a file</h4>
4f41943f 438<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>
77aea16c 439<p><code>
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440$ gpg --export-secret-keys -a [keyID] > my_secret_key.asc<br/>
441$ gpg --export -a [keyID] > my_public_key.asc
77aea16c 442</code></p>
7b83f7f9 443
77aea16c 444<h4>Generate a revocation certificate</h4>
63fe86d5 445<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>
b7f7b4a2 446
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447<p># Copy your keyID: <code>gpg --list-key [your@email]</code> 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>
448<p># Generate a revocation certificate: <code>gpg --gen-revoke --output revoke.asc [keyID]</code></p>
449<p># It will prompt you to give a reason for revocation, we recommend to use <samp>1&nbsp;=&nbsp;key has been compromised</samp>.</p>
63fe86d5 450<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 451
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452
453<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
454<div class="troubleshooting">
455
456<h4>Troubleshooting</h4>
457
458<dl>
563fcf5d 459<dt>Sending my key to the keyserver is not working</dt>
412a3134 460<dd>Instead of using the general command to upload your key to the keyserver, you can use a more specific command and add the keyserver to your command <code>gpg --keyserver keys.openpgp.org --send-key [keyID]</code>&#65279;.</dd>
563fcf5d 461
b7f7b4a2 462<dt>My key doesn't seem to be working or I get a "permission denied."</dt>
e4fa2e82 463<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 464
77aea16c 465<p># Check your permissions: <code>ls -l ~/.gnupg/*</code></p>
e4fa2e82 466<p># Set permissions to read, write, execute for only yourself, no others. These are the recommended permissions for your folder. <br/>
5440702c 467You can use the command: <code>chmod 700 ~/.gnupg</code></p>
e4fa2e82 468<p># Set permissions to read and write for yourself only, no others. These are the recommended permissions for the keys inside your folder. <br/>
77aea16c 469You can use the code: <code>chmod 600 ~/.gnupg/*</code></p>
19bce4d7 470
e4fa2e82 471<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 472</dd>
412a3134 473
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474<dt class="feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?</dt>
475<dd class="feedback">Please let us know on the <a
476href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
477page</a>.</dd>
478</dl>
479
480</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
481
482<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
483<div class="troubleshooting">
484
485<h4>Advanced</h4>
486
487<dl>
7b83f7f9 488<dt>More about keyservers</dt>
f1ff80d1 489<dd>You can find some more keyserver information <a
4c633adb 490href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x457.html">in this manual</a>. You can also <a
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491href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x56.html#AEN64">directly export
492your key</a> as a file on your computer.</dd>
7b83f7f9 493
494<dt>Transferring your keys</dt>
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495<dd>
496<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 497
77aea16c 498<p><code>
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499$ gpg --export-secret-keys -a [keyID] > my_private_key.asc<br />
500$ gpg --export -a [keyID] > my_public_key.asc<br />
501$ gpg --import my_private_key.asc<br />
e4fa2e82 502$ gpg --import my_public_key.asc
77aea16c 503</code></p>
7b83f7f9 504
35f08087 505<p>Ensure that the keyID printed is the correct one, and if so, then go ahead and add ultimate trust for it:</p>
e4fa2e82 506
77aea16c 507<p><code>
35f08087 508$ gpg --edit-key [your@email]
77aea16c 509</code></p>
7b83f7f9 510
dbfeba09 511<p>Because this is your key, you should choose <code>ultimate</code>&#65279;. You shouldn't trust anyone else's key ultimately.</p>
80b64e11 512
63fe86d5 513<p class="notes"> Refer to <a href="#step-2b">Troubleshooting 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 514</dd>
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515</dl>
516
517</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
518</div><!-- End .main -->
519</div><!-- End #step-2b .step -->
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520</div></section><!-- End #section2 -->
521
7b83f7f9 522<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 3: Set up email encryption ~~~~~~~~~ -->
523<section id="section3" class="row"><div>
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524
525<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
526<div class="section-intro">
527
7b83f7f9 528<h2><em>#3</em> Set up email encryption</h2>
64f8f564 529<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 530
531</div><!-- End .section-intro -->
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532
533<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 534<div id="step-3a" class="step">
535<div class="sidebar">
536
69e314de 537<p class="large"><img src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-open-key-manager.png"
fedfd572 538alt="Step 3.A: Email Menu" /></p>
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539
540<p class="large"><img src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-import-from-file.png"
7b83f7f9 541alt="Step 3.A: Import From File" /></p>
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542
543<p class="large"><img src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-success.png"
7b83f7f9 544alt="Step 3.A: Success" /></p>
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545
546<p class="large"><img src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-troubleshoot.png"
40833450 547alt="Step 3.A: Troubleshoot" /></p>
7b83f7f9 548</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
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549<div class="main">
550
7b83f7f9 551<h3><em>Step 3.a</em> Set up your email with encryption</h3>
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552
553<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 554
fb4dff9b 555<p># Open your email client and use "Tools" &rarr; <i>OpenPGP Key Manager</i></p>
77aea16c 556<p># Under "File" &rarr; <i>Import Secret Key(s) From File</i></p>
63fe86d5 557<p># Select the file you saved under the name [my_secret_key.asc] in <a href="#step-2b">Step 2.B</a> when you exported your key</p>
7b83f7f9 558<p># Unlock with your passphrase</p>
559<p># You will receive a "OpenPGP keys successfully imported" window to confirm success</p>
fb4dff9b 560<p># Go to "Account settings" &rarr; "End-To-End Encryption," and make sure your key is imported and select <i>Treat this key as a Personal Key</i>.</p>
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561
562</div><!-- End .main -->
19bce4d7 563
7b83f7f9 564<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 565<div class="main">
566<div class="troubleshooting">
567<h4>Troubleshooting</h4>
568<dl>
569<dt>I'm not sure the import worked correctly</dt>
570<dd>
fb4dff9b 571Look for "Account settings" &rarr; "End-To-End Encryption." Here you can see if your personal key associated with this email is found. If it is not, you can try again via the <i>Add key</i> option. Make sure you have the correct, active, secret key file.
7b83f7f9 572</dd>
573
574<dt class="feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?</dt>
575<dd class="feedback">Please let us know on the <a
576href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
577page</a>.</dd>
578</dl>
579
580</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
581</div><!-- End .main -->
582</div><!-- End #step3-a .step -->
583</div></section><!-- End #section3 -->
584
585<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 4: Try it out ~~~~~~~~~ -->
586<section class="row" id="section4"><div>
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587
588<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
589<div class="section-intro">
590
7b83f7f9 591<h2><em>#4</em> Try it out!</h2>
69e314de 592<p class="float small"><img 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 593<p>Now you'll try a test correspondence with an FSF computer program named Edward,
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594who knows how to use encryption. Except where noted, these are the same
595steps you'd follow when corresponding with a real, live person.</p>
596
597<!-- <p>NOTE: Edward is currently having some technical difficulties, so he
598may take a long time to respond, or not respond at all. We're sorry about
599this and we're working hard to fix it. Your key will still work even without
600testing with Edward.</p> -->
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601
602<div style="clear: both"></div>
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603</div><!-- End .section-intro -->
604
605<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 606<div id="step-4a" class="step">
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607<div class="sidebar">
608
69e314de 609<p class="large"><img
14c5f099 610src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step4a-send-key-to-Edward.png"
7b83f7f9 611alt="Step 4.A Send key to Edward." /></p>
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612
613</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
614<div class="main">
615
7b83f7f9 616<h3><em>Step 4.a</em> Send Edward your public key</h3>
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617
618<p>This is a special step that you won't have to do when corresponding
7b83f7f9 619with real people. In your email program's menu, go to "Tools" &rarr; "OpenPGP Key
a4eb3926 620Manager." You should see your key in the list that pops up. Right click
77aea16c 621on your key and select <i>Send Public Keys by Email</i>. 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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622
623<p>Address the message to <a
624href="mailto:edward-en@fsf.org">edward-en@fsf.org</a>. Put at least one word
625(whatever you want) in the subject and body of the email. Don't send yet.</p>
626
77aea16c 627<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 <i>Do Not Encrypt</i>. Once encryption is off, hit Send.</p>
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628
629<p class="notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
630respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the <a
b7f7b4a2 631href="#section6">Use it Well</a> section of this guide. Once you have received a response,
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632head to the next step. From here on, you'll be doing just the same thing as
633when corresponding with a real person.</p>
634
7b83f7f9 635<p>When you open Edward's reply, GnuPG may prompt you for your passphrase
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636before using your private key to decrypt it.</p>
637
638</div><!-- End .main -->
7b83f7f9 639</div><!-- End #step-4a .step -->
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640
641<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 642<div id="step-4b" class="step">
643<div class="sidebar">
19bce4d7 644
69e314de 645<p class="large"><img
14c5f099 646src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step4b-option1-verify-key.png"
7b83f7f9 647alt="Step 4.B Option 1. Verify key" /></p>
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648
649<p class="large"><img
14c5f099 650src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step4b-option2-import-key.png"
7b83f7f9 651alt="Step 4.B Option 2. Import key" /></p>
652</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
19bce4d7 653
7b83f7f9 654<div class="main">
19bce4d7 655
7b83f7f9 656<h3><em>Step 4.b</em> Send a test encrypted email</h3>
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657
658<h4>Get Edward's key</h4>
659
80b64e11 660<p>To encrypt an email to Edward, you need its public key, so now you'll have
7b83f7f9 661to download it from a keyserver. You can do this in two different ways:</p>
fb4dff9b 662<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 <i>Discover</i> next to the text: "This message was signed with a key that you don't yet have." A popup with Edward's key details will follow.</p>
19bce4d7 663
fb4dff9b 664<p><strong>Option 2.</strong> Open your OpenPGP Key manager, and under "Keyserver" choose <i>Discover Keys Online</i>. Here, fill in Edward's email address, and import Edward's key.</p>
19bce4d7 665
77aea16c 666<p>The option <i>Accepted (unverified)</i> 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 667
b7f7b4a2 668<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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669
670<p class="notes">Since you encrypted this email with Edward's public key,
671Edward's private key is required to decrypt it. Edward is the only one with
80b64e11 672its private key, so no one except Edward can decrypt it.</p>
19bce4d7 673
77aea16c 674<h4>Send Edward an encrypted email</h4>
7b83f7f9 675
a4eb3926 676<p> Write a new email in your email program, addressed to <a
7b83f7f9 677href="mailto:edward-en@fsf.org">edward-en@fsf.org</a>. Make the subject
678"Encryption test" or something similar and write something in the body.</p>
679
77aea16c 680<p>This time, make sure encryption is turned on by using the dropdown menu "Security" and select <i>Require Encryption</i>. Once encryption is on, hit Send.</p>
7b83f7f9 681
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682
683<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
684<div class="troubleshooting">
685
686<h4>Troubleshooting</h4>
687
688<dl>
7b83f7f9 689<dt>"Recipients not valid, not trusted or not found"</dt>
412a3134 690<dd>You could get the above error message, or something along these lines: "Unable to send this message with end-to-end encryption, because there are problems with the keys of the following recipients: ..." In these cases, 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 the OpenPGP Key Manager to make sure the recipient is listed there.</dd>
7b83f7f9 691
692<dt>Unable to send message</dt>
f1ff80d1 693<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 "Not accepted (undecided)" option. Go to the "key properties" of this key by right clicking on the key in the OpenPGP Key Manager, and select the option <i>Yes, but I have not verified that this is the correct key</i> in the "Acceptance" option at the bottom of this window. Resend the email.</dd>
7b83f7f9 694
695<dt>I can't find Edward's key</dt>
19bce4d7 696<dd>Close the pop-ups that have appeared since you clicked Send. Make sure
412a3134 697you are connected to the Internet and try again. If that doesn't work, you can download the key manually from <a href="https://keys.openpgp.org/search?q=edward-en%40fsf.org">the keyserver</a>, and import it by using the <i>Import Public Key(s) from File</i> option in the OpenPGP Key Manager.</dd>
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698
699<dt>Unscrambled messages in the Sent folder</dt>
700<dd>Even though you can't decrypt messages encrypted to someone else's key,
701your email program will automatically save a copy encrypted to your public key,
702which you'll be able to view from the Sent folder like a normal email. This
703is normal, and it doesn't mean that your email was not sent encrypted.</dd>
704
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705<dt class="feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?</dt>
706<dd class="feedback">Please let us know on the <a
707href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
708page</a>.</dd>
709</dl>
710
711</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
712
713<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
714<div class="troubleshooting">
715
716<h4>Advanced</h4>
717
718<dl>
719<dt>Encrypt messages from the command line</dt>
720<dd>You can also encrypt and decrypt messages and files from the <a
721href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x110.html">command line</a>,
722if that's your preference. The option --armor makes the encrypted output
723appear in the regular character set.</dd>
724</dl>
725
726</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
727</div><!-- End .main -->
7b83f7f9 728</div><!-- End #step-4b .step -->
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729
730<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
731<div id="step-headers_unencrypted" class="step">
732<div class="main">
733
734<h3><em>Important:</em> Security tips</h3>
19e80165 735
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736<p>Even if you encrypt your email, the subject line is not encrypted, so
737don't put private information there. The sending and receiving addresses
738aren't encrypted either, so a surveillance system can still figure out who
739you're communicating with. Also, surveillance agents will know that you're
740using GnuPG, even if they can't figure out what you're saying. When you
7b83f7f9 741send attachments, you can choose to encrypt them or not,
19bce4d7 742independent of the actual email.</p>
bdf319c4 743
e72398d7
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744<p>For greater security against potential attacks, you can turn off
745HTML. Instead, you can render the message body as plain text. In order
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746to do this in Icedove or Thunderbird, go to "View" &rarr; "Message Body As" &rarr; <i>Plain
747Text</i>.</p>
e72398d7 748
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749</div><!-- End .main -->
750</div><!-- End #step-headers_unencrypted .step-->
d85363e7 751
19bce4d7 752<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 753<div id="step-4c" class="step">
754<div class="sidebar">
755
69e314de 756<p class="large"><img
14c5f099 757src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step4c-Edward-response.png"
7b83f7f9 758alt="Step 4.C Edward's response" /></p>
759
760</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
761
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762<div class="main">
763
7b83f7f9 764<h3><em>Step 4.c</em> Receive a response</h3>
19bce4d7 765
80b64e11 766<p>When Edward receives your email, it will use its private key to decrypt
f54f2134 767it, then reply to you. </p>
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768
769<p class="notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
770respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the <a
7b83f7f9 771href="#section6">Use it Well</a> section of this guide.</p>
772
169c7097 773<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 774
f2545138 775<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 776
19bce4d7 777</div><!-- End .main -->
7b83f7f9 778</div><!-- End #step-4c .step -->
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779
780<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 781<div id="step-4d" class="step">
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782<div class="main">
783
80b64e11 784<h3><em>Step 4.d</em> Send a signed test email</h3>
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785
786<p>GnuPG includes a way for you to sign messages and files, verifying that
787they came from you and that they weren't tampered with along the way. These
788signatures are stronger than their pen-and-paper cousins -- they're impossible
789to forge, because they're impossible to create without your private key
790(another reason to keep your private key safe).</p>
791
792<p>You can sign messages to anyone, so it's a great way to make people
793aware that you use GnuPG and that they can communicate with you securely. If
794they don't have GnuPG, they will be able to read your message and see your
795signature. If they do have GnuPG, they'll also be able to verify that your
796signature is authentic.</p>
797
a4eb3926 798<p>To sign an email to Edward, compose any message to the email address and click the
19bce4d7 799pencil icon next to the lock icon so that it turns gold. If you sign a
5440702c 800message, GnuPG may ask you for your passphrase before it sends the message,
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801because it needs to unlock your private key for signing.</p>
802
77aea16c 803<p>In "Account Settings" &rarr; "End-To-End-Encryption" you can opt to <i>add digital signature by default</i>.</p>
19bce4d7 804
7b83f7f9 805</div><!-- End .main -->
806</div><!-- End #step-4d .step -->
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807
808<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 809<div id="step-4e" class="step">
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810<div class="main">
811
7b83f7f9 812<h3><em>Step 4.e</em> Receive a response</h3>
19bce4d7 813
f54f2134
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814<p>When Edward receives your email, he will use your public key (which
815you sent him in <a href="#step-3a">Step 3.A</a>) to verify the message
80b64e11 816you sent has not been tampered with and to encrypt a reply to you.</p>
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817
818<p class="notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
819respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the <a
7b83f7f9 820href="#section6">Use it Well</a> section of this guide.</p>
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821
822<p>Edward's reply will arrive encrypted, because he prefers to use encryption
823whenever possible. If everything goes according to plan, it should say
824"Your signature was verified." If your test signed email was also encrypted,
825he will mention that first.</p>
826
7b83f7f9 827<p>When you receive Edward's email and open it, your email client will
f54f2134
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828automatically detect that it is encrypted with your public key, and
829then it will use your private key to decrypt it.</p>
830
19bce4d7 831</div><!-- End .main -->
7b83f7f9 832</div><!-- End #step-4e .step -->
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833</div></section>
834
803e8e2e 835<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 5: Learn About the Web of Trust ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 836<section class="row" id="section5"><div>
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837
838<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
839<div class="section-intro">
840
b7f7b4a2 841<h2><em>#5</em> Learn about the Web of Trust</h2>
69e314de 842<p class="float small"><img src="../static/img/en/screenshots/section5-web-of-trust.png" alt="Illustration of keys all interconnected with a web of lines"/></p>
19bce4d7 843
b7f7b4a2 844<p>Email encryption is a powerful technology, but it has a weakness:
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845it requires a way to verify that a person's public key is actually
846theirs. Otherwise, there would be no way to stop an attacker from making
b7f7b4a2 847an email address with your friend's name, creating keys to go with it, and
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848impersonating your friend. That's why the free software programmers that
849developed email encryption created keysigning and the Web of Trust.</p>
850
851<p>When you sign someone's key, you are publicly saying that you've verified
852that it belongs to them and not someone else.</p>
853
854<p>Signing keys and signing messages use the same type of mathematical
855operation, but they carry very different implications. It's a good practice
856to generally sign your email, but if you casually sign people's keys, you
77aea16c 857may accidentally end up vouching for the identity of an imposter.</p>
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858
859<p>People who use your public key can see who has signed it. Once you've
860used GnuPG for a long time, your key may have hundreds of signatures. You
861can consider a key to be more trustworthy if it has many signatures from
862people that you trust. The Web of Trust is a constellation of GnuPG users,
863connected to each other by chains of trust expressed through signatures.</p>
864
865</div><!-- End .section-intro -->
866
867<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 868<div id="step-5a" class="step">
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869<div class="sidebar">
870
69e314de 871<p class="large"><img
14c5f099 872src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step5a-key-properties.png"
7b83f7f9 873alt="Section 5: trusting a key" /></p>
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874
875</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
876<div class="main">
877
7b83f7f9 878<h3><em>Step 5.a</em> Sign a key</h3>
19bce4d7 879
77aea16c 880<p>In your email program's menu, go to OpenPGP Key Manager and select <i>Key properties</i> by right clicking on Edward's key.</p>
19bce4d7 881
f1ff80d1 882<p>Under "Your Acceptance," you can select <i>Yes, I've verified in person this key has the correct fingerprint</i>.</p>
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883
884<p class="notes">You've just effectively said "I trust that Edward's public
885key actually belongs to Edward." This doesn't mean much because Edward isn't
b7f7b4a2 886a 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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887
888<!--<div id="pgp-pathfinder">
889
890<form enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded" action="/mk_path.cgi"
891method="get">
892
f211d856 893<p><strong>From:</strong><input type="text" value="xD41A008"
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894name="FROM"></p>
895
f211d856 896<p><strong>To:</strong><input type="text" value="50BD01x4" name="TO"></p>
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897
898<p class="buttons"><input type="submit" value="trust paths" name="PATHS"><input
899type="reset" value="reset" name=".reset"></p>
900
901</form>
902
903</div>End #pgp-pathfinder -->
904</div><!-- End .main -->
7b83f7f9 905</div><!-- End #step-5a .step -->
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906
907<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
908<div id="step-identify_keys" class="step">
909<div class="main">
910
911<h3>Identifying keys: Fingerprints and IDs</h3>
912
913<p>People's public keys are usually identified by their key fingerprint,
914which is a string of digits like F357AA1A5B1FA42CFD9FE52A9FF2194CC09A61E8
915(for Edward's key). You can see the fingerprint for your public key, and
7b83f7f9 916other public keys saved on your computer, by going to OpenPGP Key
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917Management in your email program's menu, then right clicking on the key
918and choosing Key Properties. It's good practice to share your fingerprint
919wherever you share your email address, so that people can double-check that
920they have the correct public key when they download yours from a keyserver.</p>
921
c0c01f86 922<p class="notes">You may also see public keys referred to by a shorter
a4eb3926 923keyID. This keyID is visible directly from the Key Management
924window. These eight character keyIDs were previously used for
c0c01f86
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925identification, which used to be safe, but is no longer reliable. You
926need to check the full fingerprint as part of verifying you have the
927correct key for the person you are trying to contact. Spoofing, in
928which someone intentionally generates a key with a fingerprint whose
929final eight characters are the same as another, is unfortunately
930common.</p>
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931
932</div><!-- End .main -->
933</div><!-- End #step-identify_keys .step-->
934
935<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
936<div id="check-ids-before-signing" class="step">
937<div class="main">
938
939<h3><em>Important:</em> What to consider when signing keys</h3>
940
941<p>Before signing a person's key, you need to be confident that it actually
942belongs to them, and that they are who they say they are. Ideally, this
943confidence comes from having interactions and conversations with them over
944time, and witnessing interactions between them and others. Whenever signing
945a key, ask to see the full public key fingerprint, and not just the shorter
a4eb3926 946keyID. If you feel it's important to sign the key of someone you've just
19bce4d7 947met, also ask them to show you their government identification, and make
7b83f7f9 948sure the name on the ID matches the name on the public key.</p>
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949
950<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
951<div class="troubleshooting">
952
953<h4>Advanced</h4>
954
955<dl>
956<dt>Master the Web of Trust</dt>
957<dd>Unfortunately, trust does not spread between users the way <a
6003a573 958href="https://fennetic.net/irc/finney.org/~hal/web_of_trust.html">many people
a4eb3926 959think</a>. One of the best ways to strengthen the GnuPG community is to deeply <a
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960href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x334.html">understand</a> the Web of
961Trust and to carefully sign as many people's keys as circumstances permit.</dd>
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962</dl>
963
964</div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
965</div><!-- End .main -->
966</div><!-- End #check-ids-before-signing .step-->
7b83f7f9 967</div></section><!-- End #section5 -->
d85363e7 968
7b83f7f9 969<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 6: Use it well ~~~~~~~~~ -->
970<section id="section6" class="row"><div>
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971
972<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
973<div class="section-intro">
974
7b83f7f9 975<h2><em>#6</em> Use it well</h2>
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976
977<p>Everyone uses GnuPG a little differently, but it's important to follow
978some basic practices to keep your email secure. Not following them, you
979risk the privacy of the people you communicate with, as well as your own,
980and damage the Web of Trust.</p>
981
982</div><!-- End .section-intro -->
983
984<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 985<div id="step-6a" class="step">
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986<div class="sidebar">
987
69e314de 988<p class="medium"><img
1805f65d 989src="../static/img/en/screenshots/section6-01-use-it-well.png"
7b83f7f9 990alt="Section 6: Use it Well (1)" /></p>
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991
992</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
993<div class="main">
994
995<h3>When should I encrypt? When should I sign?</h3>
996
997<p>The more you can encrypt your messages, the better. If you only encrypt
998emails occasionally, each encrypted message could raise a red flag for
999surveillance systems. If all or most of your email is encrypted, people
1000doing surveillance won't know where to start. That's not to say that only
1001encrypting some of your email isn't helpful -- it's a great start and it
1002makes bulk surveillance more difficult.</p>
1003
1004<p>Unless you don't want to reveal your own identity (which requires other
1005protective measures), there's no reason not to sign every message, whether or
1006not you are encrypting. In addition to allowing those with GnuPG to verify
1007that the message came from you, signing is a non-intrusive way to remind
1008everyone that you use GnuPG and show support for secure communication. If you
1009often send signed messages to people that aren't familiar with GnuPG, it's
1010nice to also include a link to this guide in your standard email signature
1011(the text kind, not the cryptographic kind).</p>
1012
1013</div><!-- End .main -->
7b83f7f9 1014</div><!-- End #step-6a .step -->
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1015
1016<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 1017<div id="step-6b" class="step">
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1018<div class="sidebar">
1019
69e314de 1020<p class="medium"><img
1805f65d 1021src="../static/img/en/screenshots/section6-02-use-it-well.png"
7b83f7f9 1022alt="Section 6: Use it Well (2)" /></p>
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1023
1024</div><!-- /.sidebar -->
1025<div class="main">
1026
1027<h3>Be wary of invalid keys</h3>
1028
1029<p>GnuPG makes email safer, but it's still important to watch out for invalid
1030keys, which might have fallen into the wrong hands. Email encrypted with
1031invalid keys might be readable by surveillance programs.</p>
1032
1033<p>In your email program, go back to the first encrypted email that Edward
1034sent you. Because Edward encrypted it with your public key, it will have a
f1ff80d1 1035green checkmark on the "OpenPGP" button.</p>
19bce4d7 1036
77aea16c 1037<p><strong>When using GnuPG, make a habit of glancing at that button. The program
4227f3fd 1038will warn you there if you get an email signed with a key that can't
77aea16c 1039be trusted.</strong></p>
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1040
1041</div><!-- End .main -->
7b83f7f9 1042</div><!-- End #step-6b .step -->
19bce4d7
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1043
1044<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 1045<div id="step-6c" class="step">
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1046<div class="main">
1047
1048<h3>Copy your revocation certificate to somewhere safe</h3>
1049
1050<p>Remember when you created your keys and saved the revocation certificate
80b64e11 1051that 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>
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1052
1053<p>If your private key ever gets lost or stolen, you'll need this certificate
1054file to let people know that you are no longer using that keypair.</p>
1055
1056</div><!-- End .main -->
7b83f7f9 1057</div><!-- End #step-6c .step -->
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1058
1059<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1060<div id="step-lost_key" class="step">
1061<div class="main">
1062
b7f7b4a2 1063<h3><em>IMPORTANT:</em> ACT SWIFTLY if someone gets your private key</h3>
19bce4d7 1064
b7f7b4a2 1065<p>If you lose your private key or someone else gets a hold
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1066of it (say, by stealing or cracking your computer), it's
1067important to revoke it immediately before someone else uses
1068it to read your encrypted email or forge your signature. This
1069guide doesn't cover how to revoke a key, but you can follow these <a
1070href="https://www.hackdiary.com/2004/01/18/revoking-a-gpg-key/">instructions</a>.
1071After you're done revoking, make a new key and send an email to everyone
1072with whom you usually use your key to make sure they know, including a copy
1073of your new key.</p>
1074
1075</div><!-- End .main -->
1076</div><!-- End #step-lost_key .step-->
1077
35f08087 1078<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
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1079<div id="webmail-and-GnuPG" class="step">
1080<div class="main">
1081
1082<h3>Webmail and GnuPG</h3>
1083
1084<p>When you use a web browser to access your email, you're using webmail,
1085an email program stored on a distant website. Unlike webmail, your desktop
1086email program runs on your own computer. Although webmail can't decrypt
1087encrypted email, it will still display it in its encrypted form. If you
1088primarily use webmail, you'll know to open your email client when you receive
1089a scrambled email.</p>
1090
1091</div><!-- End .main -->
1092</div><!-- End #webmail-and-GnuPG .step-->
1093
35f08087 1094<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
7b83f7f9 1095<div id="step-6d" class="step">
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1096<div class="main">
1097
1098<h3>Make your public key part of your online identity</h3>
1099
1100<p> First add your public key fingerprint to your email signature, then
1101compose an email to at least five of your friends, telling them you just
1102set up GnuPG and mentioning your public key fingerprint. Link to this guide
1103and ask them to join you. Don't forget that there's also an awesome <a
1104href="infographic.html">infographic to share.</a></p>
1105
1106<p class="notes">Start writing your public key fingerprint anywhere someone
1107would see your email address: your social media profiles, blog, Website,
1108or business card. (At the Free Software Foundation, we put ours on our
1109<a href="https://fsf.org/about/staff">staff page</a>.) We need to get our
1110culture to the point that we feel like something is missing when we see an
1111email address without a public key fingerprint.</p>
1112
35f08087 1113</div><!-- End .main-->
1114</div><!-- End #step-6d .step-->
7b83f7f9 1115</div></section><!-- End #section6 -->
19bce4d7 1116
7b83f7f9 1117<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 7: Next steps ~~~~~~~~~ -->
b7f7b4a2 1118<section class="row" id="section7">
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1119<div id="step-click_here" class="step">
1120<div class="main">
0a225228 1121
19bce4d7 1122<h2><a href="next_steps.html">Great job! Check out the next steps.</a></h2>
bb28ee32 1123
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1124</div><!-- End .main -->
1125</div><!-- End #step-click_here .step-->
7b83f7f9 1126</section><!-- End #section7 -->
bdf319c4 1127
19bce4d7 1128<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ FAQ ~~~~~~~~~ -->
f44dd62f 1129<!-- When un-commenting this section go to main.css and search
116f80c3 1130for /* Guide Sections Background */ then add #faq to the desired color
19bce4d7 1131<section class="row" id="faq"><div>
116f80c3 1132<div class="sidebar">
19bce4d7 1133
116f80c3 1134<h2>FAQ</h2>
6c495e2d 1135
19bce4d7 1136</div>
116f80c3 1137<div class="main">
19bce4d7 1138
116f80c3
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1139<dl>
1140<dt>My key expired</dt>
1141<dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
6c495e2d 1142
116f80c3
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1143<dt>Who can read encrypted messages? Who can read signed ones?</dt>
1144<dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
6c495e2d 1145
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1146<dt>My email program is opening at times I don't want it to open/is now my
1147default program and I don't want it to be.</dt>
116f80c3
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1148<dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1149</dl>
19bce4d7 1150
116f80c3
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1151</div>
1152</div>
1153</section> --><!-- End #faq -->
bdf319c4 1154
19bce4d7
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1155<!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Footer ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1156<footer class="row" id="footer"><div>
1157<div id="copyright">
1158
1159<h4><a href="https://u.fsf.org/ys"><img
1160alt="Free Software Foundation"
14c5f099 1161src="../static/img/fsf-logo.png" /></a></h4>
19bce4d7 1162
bf77c8b0 1163<p>Copyright &copy; 2014-2023 <a
19bce4d7
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1164href="https://u.fsf.org/ys">Free Software Foundation</a>, Inc. <a
1165href="https://my.fsf.org/donate/privacypolicy.html">Privacy Policy</a>. Please
1166support our work by <a href="https://u.fsf.org/yr">joining us as an associate
1167member.</a></p>
1168
1169<p>The images on this page are under a <a
1170href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons
1171Attribution 4.0 license (or later version)</a>, and the rest of it is under
1172a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0">Creative Commons
1173Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license (or later version)</a>. Download the <a
6003a573 1174href="https://agpl.fsf.org/emailselfdefense.fsf.org/edward/CURRENT/edward.tar.gz">
f211d856 1175source code of Edward reply bot</a> by Andrew Engelbrecht
a3a9a0ac 1176&lt;andrew@engelbrecht.io&gt; and Josh Drake &lt;zamnedix@gnu.org&gt;,
19bce4d7 1177available under the GNU Affero General Public License. <a
6003a573 1178href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#OtherLicenses">Why these
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1179licenses?</a></p>
1180
1181<p>Fonts used in the guide &amp; infographic: <a
1182href="https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Dosis">Dosis</a> by Pablo
6003a573 1183Impallari, <a href="https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Signika">Signika</a>
19bce4d7 1184by Anna Giedry&#347;, <a
6003a573 1185href="https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Archivo+Narrow">Archivo
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1186Narrow</a> by Omnibus-Type, <a
1187href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Graphics_Howto#Pitfalls">PXL-2000</a>
1188by Florian Cramer.</p>
1189
1190<p>Download the <a href="emailselfdefense_source.zip">source package</a>
1191for this guide, including fonts, image source files and the text of Edward's
1192messages.</p>
1193
1194<p>This site uses the Weblabels standard for labeling <a
1195href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/freejs">free JavaScript</a>. View
abf30801 1196the JavaScript <a href="https://weblabels.fsf.org/emailselfdefense.fsf.org/"
19bce4d7
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1197rel="jslicense">source code and license information</a>.</p>
1198
1199</div><!-- /#copyright -->
1200
1201<p class="credits">Infographic and guide design by <a rel="external"
6003a573 1202href="https://jplusplus.org"><strong>Journalism++</strong><img
e277af54 1203src="../static/img/jplusplus.png"
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1204alt="Journalism++" /></a></p><!-- /.credits -->
1205</div></footer><!-- End #footer -->
116f80c3 1206
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f211d856 1208<script type="text/javascript"
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AE
1215 var _paq = _paq || [];
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