en/index.html

   1 <!DOCTYPE html>
   2 <html lang="en">
   3 <head>
   4 <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
   5 <title>Email Self-Defense - a guide to fighting surveillance with GnuPG
   6 encryption</title>
   7 <meta name="keywords" content="GnuPG, GPG, openpgp, surveillance, privacy,
   8 email, security, GnuPG2, encryption" />
   9 <meta name="description" content="Email surveillance violates our fundamental
  10 rights and makes free speech risky. This guide will teach you email
  11 self-defense in 40 minutes with GnuPG." />
  12 <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
  13 <link rel="stylesheet" href="../static/css/main.css" />
  14 <link rel="shortcut icon"
  15 href="../static/img/favicon.ico" />
  16 </head>
  17
  18 <body>
  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to Enigmail's PGP functionality being migrated into Icedove and Thunderbird, steps 2 and 3 of the guide are currently out of date.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>-->
  20
  21 <!-- PLACE FUNDRAISER MODAL WINDOW HERE -->
  22
  23 <div class="wip">THIS IS A TEST VERSION!<br />
  24 The latest changes haven't been approved yet. Please don't update the PO files.</div>
  25
  26 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ GnuPG Header and introduction text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
  27 <header class="row" id="header"><div>
  28
  29
  30 <h1>Email Self-Defense</h1>
  31
  32 <!-- Language list for browsers that do not have JS enabled -->
  33 <ul id="languages" class="os">
  34 <li><a class="current" href="/en">English - v5.0</a></li>
  35 <!--<li><a href="/cs">čeština - v5.0</a></li>
  36 <li><a href="/de">Deutsch - v4.0</a></li>
  37 <li><a href="/el">ελληνικά - v3.0</a></li>
  38 <li><a href="/es">español - v4.0</a></li>
  39 <li><a href="/fa">فارسی - v4.0</a></li>
  40 <li><a href="/fr">français - v4.0</a></li>
  41 <li><a href="/it">italiano - v3.0</a></li>
  42 <li><a href="/ja">日本語 - v4.0</a></li>
  43 <li><a href="/pt-br">português do Brasil - v3.0</a></li>
  44 <li><a href="/ro">română - v3.0</a></li>
  45 <li><a href="/ru">русский - v4.0</a></li>
  46 <li><a href="/sq">Shqip - v4.0</a></li>
  47 <li><a href="/sv">svenska - v4.0</a></li>
  48 <li><a href="/tr">Türkçe - v5.0</a></li>
  49 <li><a href="/zh-hans">简体中文 - v4.0</a></li>-->
  50 <li><strong><a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Translation_Guide">
  51 Translate!</a></strong></li>
  52 </ul>
  53
  54 <ul id="menu" class="os">
  55 <li class="spacer"><a href="index.html" class="current">Set up guide</a></li>
  56 <!--<li><a href="mac.html">Mac OS</a></li>-->
  57 <!--<li><a href="windows.html">Windows</a></li>-->
  58 <li class="spacer"><a href="workshops.html">Teach your friends</a></li>
  59 <li class="spacer"><a
  60 href="https://fsf.org/share?u=https://u.fsf.org/zb&amp;t=Email%20encryption%20for%20everyone%20via%20%40fsf">
  61 Share&nbsp;
  62 <img src="../static/img/gnu-social.png" class="share-logo"
  63 alt="[GNU Social]" />&nbsp;
  64 <img src="../static/img/mastodon.png" class="share-logo"
  65 alt="[Mastodon]" />&nbsp;
  66 <img src="../static/img/reddit-alien.png" class="share-logo"
  67 alt="[Reddit]" />&nbsp;
  68 <img src="../static/img/hacker-news.png" class="share-logo"
  69 alt="[Hacker News]" /></a></li>
  70 </ul>
  71
  72 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ FSF Introduction ~~~~~~~~~ -->
  73 <div id="fsf-intro">
  74
  75 <h3><a href="https://u.fsf.org/ys"><img
  76 alt="Free Software Foundation"
  77 src="../static/img/fsf-logo.png" />
  78 </a></h3>
  79
  80 <div class="fsf-emphasis">
  81
  82 <p>We fight for computer users' rights, and promote the development of free (as
  83 in freedom) software. Resisting bulk surveillance is very important to us.</p>
  84
  85 <p><strong>Please donate to support Email Self-Defense. We need to keep
  86 improving it, and making more materials, for the benefit of people around
  87 the world taking the first step towards protecting their privacy.</strong></p>
  88
  89 </div>
  90
  91 <p><a
  92 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
  93 alt="Donate"
  94 src="../static/img/en/donate.png" /></a></p>
  95
  96 </div><!-- End #fsf-intro -->
  97
  98 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Guide Introduction ~~~~~~~~~ -->
  99 <div class="intro">
 100
 101 <p><a id="infographic" href="infographic.html"><img
 102 src="../static/img/en/infographic-button.png"
 103 alt="View &amp; share our infographic &rarr;" /></a>
 104 Bulk surveillance violates our fundamental rights and makes free speech
 105 risky. This guide will teach you a basic surveillance self-defense skill: email
 106 encryption. Once you've finished, you'll be able to send and receive emails
 107 that are scrambled to make sure a surveillance agent or thief intercepting
 108 your email can't read them. All you need is a computer with an Internet
 109 connection, an email account, and about forty minutes.</p>
 110
 111 <p>Even if you have nothing to hide, using encryption helps protect the privacy
 112 of people you communicate with, and makes life difficult for bulk surveillance
 113 systems. If you do have something important to hide, you're in good company;
 114 these are the same tools that whistleblowers use to protect their identities
 115 while shining light on human rights abuses, corruption, and other crimes.</p>
 116
 117 <p>In addition to using encryption, standing up
 118 to surveillance requires fighting politically for a <a
 119 href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html">reduction
 120 in the amount of data collected on us</a>, but the essential first step is
 121 to protect yourself and make surveillance of your communication as difficult
 122 as possible. This guide helps you do that. It is designed for beginners, but
 123 if you already know the basics of GnuPG or are an experienced free software
 124 user, you'll enjoy the advanced tips and the <a href="workshops.html">guide
 125 to teaching your friends</a>.</p>
 126
 127 </div><!-- End .intro -->
 128 </div></header><!-- End #header -->
 129
 130 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 1: Get the pieces ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 131 <section class="row" id="section1"><div>
 132
 133 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 134 <div class="section-intro">
 135
 136 <h2><em>#1</em> Get the pieces</h2>
 137
 138 <p class="notes">This guide relies on software which is <a
 139 href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">freely licensed</a>;
 140 it's completely transparent and anyone can copy it or make their
 141 own version. This makes it safer from surveillance than proprietary
 142 software (like Windows or macOS). Learn more about free software at <a
 143 href="https://u.fsf.org/ys">fsf.org</a>.</p>
 144
 145 <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>
 146
 147 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
 148
 149 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 150 <div id="step-1a" class="step">
 151 <div class="sidebar">
 152
 153 <p class="large"><img
 154 src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step1a-install-wizard.png"
 155 alt="Step 1.A: Install Wizard" /></p>
 156
 157 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
 158 <div class="main">
 159
 160 <h3><em>Step 1.a</em> Set up your email program with your email account</h3>
 161
 162 <p>Open your email program and follow the wizard (step-by-step walkthrough)
 163 that 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>
 164
 165
 166 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 167 <div class="troubleshooting">
 168
 169 <h4>Troubleshooting</h4>
 170
 171 <dl>
 172 <dt>The wizard doesn't launch</dt>
 173 <dd>You can launch the wizard yourself, but the menu option for doing so is
 174 named differently in each email program. The button to launch it will be in
 175 the program's main menu, under "New" or something similar, titled something
 176 like "Add account" or "New/Existing email account."</dd>
 177
 178 <dt>The wizard can't find my account or isn't downloading my mail</dt>
 179 <dd>Before searching the Web, we recommend you start by asking other people
 180 who use your email system, to figure out the correct settings.</dd>
 181
 182 <dt>I can't find the menu</dt>
 183 <dd>In many new email programs, the main menu is represented by an image of
 184 three stacked horizontal bars.</dd>
 185
 186 <dt class="feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?</dt>
 187 <dd class="feedback">Please let us know on the <a
 188 href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
 189 page</a>.</dd>
 190 </dl>
 191
 192 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
 193 </div><!-- End .main -->
 194 </div><!-- End #step1-a .step -->
 195
 196 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 197 <div id="step-1b" class="step">
 198 <div class="main">
 199
 200 <h3><em>Step 1.b</em> Get your terminal ready and install GnuPG</h3>
 201
 202 <p>If you are using a GNU/Linux machine, you should already have GnuPG installed, as well as a terminal, and you can skip to <a href="#section2">Section 2</a>.</p>
 203
 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>
 205
 206 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ MACOS ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 207 <div class="troubleshooting">
 208
 209 <h4>macOS</h4>
 210
 211 <dl>
 212 <dt>Use a third-party package manager to install GnuPG</dt>
 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/>
 214 To 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 the installation to finalize.<br/>
 215 When this is done, install GnuPG by entering the following code in Terminal:<br/>
 216 <code>brew install gnupg gnupg2</code>&#65279;. After installation is done, you can follow the steps of the rest of this guide.</dd>
 217 </dl>
 218
 219 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
 220
 221 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ WINDOWS ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 222 <div class="troubleshooting">
 223
 224 <h4>Windows</h4>
 225
 226 <dl>
 227 <dt>Get GnuPG by downloading GPG4Win</dt>
 228 <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>
 229
 230 <p class="notes">To follow the rest of the steps in this guide, you'll use the program called "PowerShell", which you'll see elsewhere referred to as a "terminal." This allows you to operate your computer using the command line.</p>
 231 </dd>
 232 </dl>
 233
 234 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
 235 </div><!-- End .main -->
 236 </div><!-- End #step1-b .step -->
 237
 238 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 239 <div id="terminology" class="step">
 240 <div class="main">
 241
 242 <h3>GnuPG, OpenPGP, what?</h3>
 243
 244 <p>In general, the terms GnuPG, GPG, GNU Privacy Guard, OpenPGP and PGP
 245 are used interchangeably. Technically, OpenPGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is the
 246 encryption standard, and GNU Privacy Guard (often shortened to GPG or GnuPG)
 247 is 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
 252 </div></section><!-- End #section1 -->
 253
 254 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 2: Make your keys ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 255 <section id="section2" class="row"><div>
 256
 257 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 258 <div class="section-intro">
 259
 260 <h2><em>#2</em> Make your keys</h2>
 261 <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>
 262
 263 <p>To use the GnuPG system, you'll need a public key and a private key (known
 264 together as a keypair). Each is a long string of randomly generated numbers
 265 and letters that are unique to you. Your public and private keys are linked
 266 together 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
 269 in an online directory called a keyserver. People download it and use it,
 270 along with GnuPG, to encrypt emails they send to you. You can think of the
 271 keyserver as a phonebook; people who want to send you encrypted email can
 272 look up your public key.</p>
 273
 274 <p>Your private key is more like a physical key, because you keep it to
 275 yourself (on your computer). You use GnuPG and your private key together to
 276 descramble encrypted emails other people send to you. <strong>You should never share your private key with anyone, under any
 277 circumstances.</strong></p>
 278
 279 <p>In addition to encryption and decryption, you can also use these keys to
 280 sign messages and check the authenticity of other people's signatures. We'll
 281 discuss this more in the next section.</p>
 282
 283 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
 284
 285 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 286 <div id="step-2a" class="step">
 287 <div class="sidebar">
 288 <p class="large"><img
 289 src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step2a-02-make-keypair.png"
 290 alt="Step 2.A: Make your Keypair" /></p>
 291
 292 <p class="large"><img
 293 src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step2a-03-make-keypair.png"
 294 alt="Step 2.A: Set your passphrase" /></p>
 295
 296 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
 297 <div class="main">
 298
 299 <h3><em>Step 2.a</em> Make a keypair</h3>
 300
 301 <h4>Make your keypair</h4>
 302
 303 <p>We will use the command line in a terminal to create a keypair using the
 304 GnuPG program.</p>
 305
 306 <p class="notes">Whether on GNU/Linux, macOS or Windows, you can launch your
 307 terminal ("Terminal" in macOS, "Powershell" in Windows) from the Applications
 308 menu (some GNU/Linux systems respond to the <kbd>Ctrl + Alt + T</kbd>
 309 shortcut).</p>
 310
 311 <p># Enter <code>gpg --full-generate-key</code> to start the process.</p>
 312 <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>
 313 <p># Enter the following keysize: <code>4096</code> for a strong key.</p>
 314 <p># Choose the expiration date; we suggest <code>2y</code> (2 years).</p>
 315 <p>Follow the prompts to continue setting up with your personal details.</p>
 316
 317 <h4>Set your passphrase</h4>
 318 <p>On the screen titled "Passphrase," pick a strong password! You can
 319 do it manually, or you can use the Diceware method. Doing it manually
 320 is faster but not as secure. Using Diceware takes longer and requires
 321 dice, but creates a password that is much harder for attackers to figure
 322 out. To use it, read the section "Make a secure passphrase with Diceware" in <a
 323 href="https://theintercept.com/2015/03/26/passphrases-can-memorize-attackers-cant-guess/">
 324 this article</a> by Micah Lee.</p>
 325
 326
 327 <p>If you'd like to pick a passphrase manually, come up with something
 328 you can remember which is at least twelve characters long, and includes
 329 at least one lower case and upper case letter and at least one number or
 330 punctuation symbol. Never pick a password you've used elsewhere. Don't use
 331 any recognizable patterns, such as birthdays, telephone numbers, pets' names,
 332 song lyrics, quotes from books, and so on.</p>
 333
 334 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 335 <div class="troubleshooting">
 336
 337 <h4>Troubleshooting</h4>
 338 <dl>
 339 <dt>GnuPG is not installed</dt>
 340 <dd>
 341 You can check if this is the case with the command <code>gpg --version</code>&#65279;.
 342 If GnuPG is not installed, it would bring up the following result on most GNU/Linux operating systems, or something like it:
 343 <samp>Command 'gpg' not found, but can be installed with:
 344   sudo apt install gnupg</samp>. Follow that command and install the program.</dd>
 345
 346 <dt>I took too long to create my passphrase</dt>
 347 <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>
 348
 349 <dt>How can I see my key?</dt>
 350 <dd>
 351 Use 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 />
 352 If you want to see only your key, you can use <code>gpg --list-key [your@email]</code>&#65279;.<br />
 353 You can also use <code>gpg --list-secret-key</code> to see your own private key.</dd>
 354
 355 <dt>More resources</dt>
 356 <dd>For more information about this process, you can also refer to <a
 357 href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/c14.html#AEN25">The GNU Privacy
 358 Handbook</a>. Make sure you stick with "RSA and RSA" (the default),
 359 because it's newer and more secure than the algorithms the documentation
 360 recommends. Also make sure your key is at least 4096&nbsp;bits if you
 361 want to be secure.</dd>
 362
 363 <dt class="feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?</dt>
 364 <dd class="feedback">Please let us know on the <a
 365 href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
 366 page</a>.</dd>
 367 </dl>
 368
 369 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
 370
 371 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 372 <div class="troubleshooting">
 373
 374 <h4>Advanced</h4>
 375 <dl>
 376 <dt>Advanced key pairs</dt>
 377 <dd>When GnuPG creates a new keypair, it compartmentalizes
 378 the encryption function from the signing function through <a
 379 href="https://wiki.debian.org/Subkeys">subkeys</a>. If you use
 380 subkeys carefully, you can keep your GnuPG identity more
 381 secure and recover from a compromised key much more quickly. <a
 382 href="https://alexcabal.com/creating-the-perfect-gpg-keypair/">Alex Cabal</a>
 383 and <a href="https://keyring.debian.org/creating-key.html">the Debian wiki</a>
 384 provide good guides for setting up a secure subkey configuration.</dd>
 385 </dl>
 386
 387 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
 388 </div><!-- End .main -->
 389 </div><!-- End #step-2a .step -->
 390
 391 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 392 <div id="step-2b" class="step">
 393 <div class="sidebar">
 394 <p class="large"><img
 395 src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step2b-04-upload-and-certificate.png"
 396 alt="Step 2.B: Send to server and generate a certificate" /></p>
 397
 398 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
 399 <div class="main">
 400
 401 <h3><em>Step 2.b</em> Some important steps following creation</h3>
 402
 403 <h4>Upload your key to a keyserver</h4>
 404 <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
 405 that you can select from the menu when you upload, but they are all copies
 406 of each other, so it doesn't matter which one you use. However, it sometimes
 407 takes a few hours for them to match each other when a new key is uploaded.</p>
 408 <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>
 409 <p># Upload your key to a server:
 410 <code>gpg --send-key [keyID]</code></p>
 411
 412 <h4>Export your key to a file</h4>
 413 <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>
 414 <p><code>
 415 $ gpg --export-secret-keys -a [keyID] > my_secret_key.asc<br/>
 416 $ gpg --export -a [keyID] > my_public_key.asc
 417 </code></p>
 418
 419 <h4>Generate a revocation certificate</h4>
 420 <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>
 421
 422 <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>
 423 <p># Generate a revocation certificate: <code>gpg --gen-revoke --output revoke.asc [keyID]</code></p>
 424 <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>
 425 <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>
 426
 427
 428 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 429 <div class="troubleshooting">
 430
 431 <h4>Troubleshooting</h4>
 432
 433 <dl>
 434 <dt>My key doesn't seem to be working or I get a "permission denied."</dt>
 435 <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>
 436
 437 <p># Check your permissions: <code>ls -l ~/.gnupg/*</code></p>
 438 <p># Set permissions to read, write, execute for only yourself, no others. These are the recommended permissions for your folder. <br/>
 439 You can use the code: <code>chmod 700 ~/.gnupg</code></p>
 440 <p># Set permissions to read and write for yourself only, no others. These are the recommended permissions for the keys inside your folder. <br/>
 441 You can use the code: <code>chmod 600 ~/.gnupg/*</code></p>
 442
 443 <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>
 444 </dd>
 445 <dt class="feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?</dt>
 446 <dd class="feedback">Please let us know on the <a
 447 href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
 448 page</a>.</dd>
 449 </dl>
 450
 451 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
 452
 453 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 454 <div class="troubleshooting">
 455
 456 <h4>Advanced</h4>
 457
 458 <dl>
 459 <dt>More about keyservers</dt>
 460 <dd>You can find some more keyserver information<a
 461 href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x457.html"> in this manual</a>. <a
 462 href="https://sks-keyservers.net/overview-of-pools.php">The sks Web site</a>
 463 maintains a list of highly interconnected keyservers. You can also <a
 464 href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x56.html#AEN64">directly export
 465 your key</a> as a file on your computer.</dd>
 466
 467 <dt>Transferring your keys</dt>
 468 <dd>
 469 <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>
 470
 471 <p><code>
 472 $ gpg --export-secret-keys -a [keyID] > my_private_key.asc<br />
 473 $ gpg --export -a [keyID] > my_public_key.asc<br />
 474 $ gpg --import my_private_key.asc<br />
 475 $ gpg --import my_public_key.asc
 476 </code></p>
 477
 478 <p>Ensure that the keyID printed is the correct one, and if so, then go ahead and add ultimate trust for it:</p>
 479
 480 <p><code>
 481 $ gpg --edit-key [your@email]
 482 </code></p>
 483
 484 <p>Because this is your key, you should choose <code>ultimate</code>&#65279;. You shouldn't trust anyone else's key ultimately.</p>
 485
 486 <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>
 487 </dd>
 488 </dl>
 489
 490 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
 491 </div><!-- End .main -->
 492 </div><!-- End #step-2b .step -->
 493 </div></section><!-- End #section2 -->
 494
 495 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 3: Set up email encryption ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 496 <section id="section3" class="row"><div>
 497
 498 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 499 <div class="section-intro">
 500
 501 <h2><em>#3</em> Set up email encryption</h2>
 502 <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>
 503
 504 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
 505
 506 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 507 <div id="step-3a" class="step">
 508 <div class="sidebar">
 509
 510 <p class="large"><img src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-open-key-manager.png"
 511 alt="Step 3.A: Email Menu" /></p>
 512
 513 <p class="large"><img src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-import-from-file.png"
 514 alt="Step 3.A: Import From File" /></p>
 515
 516 <p class="large"><img src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-success.png"
 517 alt="Step 3.A: Success" /></p>
 518
 519 <p class="large"><img src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-troubleshoot.png"
 520 alt="Step 3.A: Troubleshoot" /></p>
 521 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
 522 <div class="main">
 523
 524 <h3><em>Step 3.a</em> Set up your email with encryption</h3>
 525
 526 <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>
 527
 528 <p># Open your email client and use "Tools" &rarr; <i>OpenPGP Key Manager</i></p>
 529 <p># Under "File" &rarr; <i>Import Secret Key(s) From File</i></p>
 530 <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>
 531 <p># Unlock with your passphrase</p>
 532 <p># You will receive a "OpenPGP keys successfully imported" window to confirm success</p>
 533 <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>
 534
 535 </div><!-- End .main -->
 536
 537 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 538 <div class="main">
 539 <div class="troubleshooting">
 540 <h4>Troubleshooting</h4>
 541 <dl>
 542 <dt>I'm not sure the import worked correctly</dt>
 543 <dd>
 544 Look 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.
 545 </dd>
 546
 547 <dt class="feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?</dt>
 548 <dd class="feedback">Please let us know on the <a
 549 href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
 550 page</a>.</dd>
 551 </dl>
 552
 553 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
 554 </div><!-- End .main -->
 555 </div><!-- End #step3-a .step -->
 556 </div></section><!-- End #section3 -->
 557
 558 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 4: Try it out ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 559 <section class="row" id="section4"><div>
 560
 561 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 562 <div class="section-intro">
 563
 564 <h2><em>#4</em> Try it out!</h2>
 565 <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>
 566 <p>Now you'll try a test correspondence with an FSF computer program named Edward,
 567 who knows how to use encryption. Except where noted, these are the same
 568 steps you'd follow when corresponding with a real, live person.</p>
 569
 570 <!-- <p>NOTE: Edward is currently having some technical difficulties, so he
 571 may take a long time to respond, or not respond at all. We're sorry about
 572 this and we're working hard to fix it. Your key will still work even without
 573 testing with Edward.</p> -->
 574
 575 <div style="clear: both"></div>
 576 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
 577
 578 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 579 <div id="step-4a" class="step">
 580 <div class="sidebar">
 581
 582 <p class="large"><img
 583 src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step4a-send-key-to-Edward.png"
 584 alt="Step 4.A Send key to Edward." /></p>
 585
 586 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
 587 <div class="main">
 588
 589 <h3><em>Step 4.a</em> Send Edward your public key</h3>
 590
 591 <p>This is a special step that you won't have to do when corresponding
 592 with real people. In your email program's menu, go to "Tools" &rarr; "OpenPGP Key
 593 Manager." You should see your key in the list that pops up. Right click
 594 on 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>
 595
 596 <p>Address the message to <a
 597 href="mailto:edward-en@fsf.org">edward-en@fsf.org</a>. Put at least one word
 598 (whatever you want) in the subject and body of the email. Don't send yet.</p>
 599
 600 <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>
 601
 602 <p class="notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
 603 respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the <a
 604 href="#section6">Use it Well</a> section of this guide. Once you have received a response,
 605 head to the next step. From here on, you'll be doing just the same thing as
 606 when corresponding with a real person.</p>
 607
 608 <p>When you open Edward's reply, GnuPG may prompt you for your passphrase
 609 before using your private key to decrypt it.</p>
 610
 611 </div><!-- End .main -->
 612 </div><!-- End #step-4a .step -->
 613
 614 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 615 <div id="step-4b" class="step">
 616 <div class="sidebar">
 617
 618 <p class="large"><img
 619 src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step4b-option1-verify-key.png"
 620 alt="Step 4.B Option 1. Verify key" /></p>
 621
 622 <p class="large"><img
 623 src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step4b-option2-import-key.png"
 624 alt="Step 4.B Option 2. Import key" /></p>
 625 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
 626
 627 <div class="main">
 628
 629 <h3><em>Step 4.b</em> Send a test encrypted email</h3>
 630
 631 <h4>Get Edward's key</h4>
 632
 633 <p>To encrypt an email to Edward, you need its public key, so now you'll have
 634 to download it from a keyserver. You can do this in two different ways:</p>
 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 <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>
 636
 637 <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>
 638
 639 <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>
 640
 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>
 642
 643 <p class="notes">Since you encrypted this email with Edward's public key,
 644 Edward's private key is required to decrypt it. Edward is the only one with
 645 its private key, so no one except Edward can decrypt it.</p>
 646
 647 <h4>Send Edward an encrypted email</h4>
 648
 649 <p> Write a new email in your email program, addressed to <a
 650 href="mailto:edward-en@fsf.org">edward-en@fsf.org</a>. Make the subject
 651 "Encryption test" or something similar and write something in the body.</p>
 652
 653 <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>
 654
 655
 656 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 657 <div class="troubleshooting">
 658
 659 <h4>Troubleshooting</h4>
 660
 661 <dl>
 662 <dt>"Recipients not valid, not trusted or not found"</dt>
 663 <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 OpenPGP Key Manager to make sure the recipient is listed there.</dd>
 664
 665 <dt>Unable to send message</dt>
 666 <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 <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>
 667
 668 <dt>I can't find Edward's key</dt>
 669 <dd>Close the pop-ups that have appeared since you clicked Send. Make sure
 670 you are connected to the Internet and try again. If that doesn't work, repeat
 671 the process, choosing a different keyserver when it asks you to pick one.</dd>
 672
 673 <dt>Unscrambled messages in the Sent folder</dt>
 674 <dd>Even though you can't decrypt messages encrypted to someone else's key,
 675 your email program will automatically save a copy encrypted to your public key,
 676 which you'll be able to view from the Sent folder like a normal email. This
 677 is normal, and it doesn't mean that your email was not sent encrypted.</dd>
 678
 679 <dt class="feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?</dt>
 680 <dd class="feedback">Please let us know on the <a
 681 href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
 682 page</a>.</dd>
 683 </dl>
 684
 685 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
 686
 687 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 688 <div class="troubleshooting">
 689
 690 <h4>Advanced</h4>
 691
 692 <dl>
 693 <dt>Encrypt messages from the command line</dt>
 694 <dd>You can also encrypt and decrypt messages and files from the <a
 695 href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x110.html">command line</a>,
 696 if that's your preference. The option --armor makes the encrypted output
 697 appear in the regular character set.</dd>
 698 </dl>
 699
 700 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
 701 </div><!-- End .main -->
 702 </div><!-- End #step-4b .step -->
 703
 704 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 705 <div id="step-headers_unencrypted" class="step">
 706 <div class="main">
 707
 708 <h3><em>Important:</em> Security tips</h3>
 709
 710 <p>Even if you encrypt your email, the subject line is not encrypted, so
 711 don't put private information there. The sending and receiving addresses
 712 aren't encrypted either, so a surveillance system can still figure out who
 713 you're communicating with. Also, surveillance agents will know that you're
 714 using GnuPG, even if they can't figure out what you're saying. When you
 715 send attachments, you can choose to encrypt them or not,
 716 independent of the actual email.</p>
 717
 718 <p>For greater security against potential attacks, you can turn off
 719 HTML. Instead, you can render the message body as plain text. In order
 720 to do this in Icedove or Thunderbird, go to "View" &rarr; "Message Body As" &rarr; <i>Plain
 721 Text</i>.</p>
 722
 723 </div><!-- End .main -->
 724 </div><!-- End #step-headers_unencrypted .step-->
 725
 726 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 727 <div id="step-4c" class="step">
 728 <div class="sidebar">
 729
 730 <p class="large"><img
 731 src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step4c-Edward-response.png"
 732 alt="Step 4.C Edward's response" /></p>
 733
 734 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
 735
 736 <div class="main">
 737
 738 <h3><em>Step 4.c</em> Receive a response</h3>
 739
 740 <p>When Edward receives your email, it will use its private key to decrypt
 741 it, then reply to you. </p>
 742
 743 <p class="notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
 744 respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the <a
 745 href="#section6">Use it Well</a> section of this guide.</p>
 746
 747 <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>
 748
 749 <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>
 750
 751 </div><!-- End .main -->
 752 </div><!-- End #step-4c .step -->
 753
 754 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 755 <div id="step-4d" class="step">
 756 <div class="main">
 757
 758 <h3><em>Step 4.d</em> Send a signed test email</h3>
 759
 760 <p>GnuPG includes a way for you to sign messages and files, verifying that
 761 they came from you and that they weren't tampered with along the way. These
 762 signatures are stronger than their pen-and-paper cousins -- they're impossible
 763 to forge, because they're impossible to create without your private key
 764 (another reason to keep your private key safe).</p>
 765
 766 <p>You can sign messages to anyone, so it's a great way to make people
 767 aware that you use GnuPG and that they can communicate with you securely. If
 768 they don't have GnuPG, they will be able to read your message and see your
 769 signature. If they do have GnuPG, they'll also be able to verify that your
 770 signature is authentic.</p>
 771
 772 <p>To sign an email to Edward, compose any message to the email address and click the
 773 pencil icon next to the lock icon so that it turns gold. If you sign a
 774 message, GnuPG may ask you for your password before it sends the message,
 775 because it needs to unlock your private key for signing.</p>
 776
 777 <p>In "Account Settings" &rarr; "End-To-End-Encryption" you can opt to <i>add digital signature by default</i>.</p>
 778
 779 </div><!-- End .main -->
 780 </div><!-- End #step-4d .step -->
 781
 782 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 783 <div id="step-4e" class="step">
 784 <div class="main">
 785
 786 <h3><em>Step 4.e</em> Receive a response</h3>
 787
 788 <p>When Edward receives your email, he will use your public key (which
 789 you sent him in <a href="#step-3a">Step 3.A</a>) to verify the message
 790 you sent has not been tampered with and to encrypt a reply to you.</p>
 791
 792 <p class="notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
 793 respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the <a
 794 href="#section6">Use it Well</a> section of this guide.</p>
 795
 796 <p>Edward's reply will arrive encrypted, because he prefers to use encryption
 797 whenever possible. If everything goes according to plan, it should say
 798 "Your signature was verified." If your test signed email was also encrypted,
 799 he will mention that first.</p>
 800
 801 <p>When you receive Edward's email and open it, your email client will
 802 automatically detect that it is encrypted with your public key, and
 803 then it will use your private key to decrypt it.</p>
 804
 805 </div><!-- End .main -->
 806 </div><!-- End #step-4e .step -->
 807 </div></section>
 808
 809 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 5: Learn About the Web of Trust ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 810 <section class="row" id="section5"><div>
 811
 812 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 813 <div class="section-intro">
 814
 815 <h2><em>#5</em> Learn about the Web of Trust</h2>
 816 <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>
 817
 818 <p>Email encryption is a powerful technology, but it has a weakness:
 819 it requires a way to verify that a person's public key is actually
 820 theirs. Otherwise, there would be no way to stop an attacker from making
 821 an email address with your friend's name, creating keys to go with it, and
 822 impersonating your friend. That's why the free software programmers that
 823 developed email encryption created keysigning and the Web of Trust.</p>
 824
 825 <p>When you sign someone's key, you are publicly saying that you've verified
 826 that it belongs to them and not someone else.</p>
 827
 828 <p>Signing keys and signing messages use the same type of mathematical
 829 operation, but they carry very different implications. It's a good practice
 830 to generally sign your email, but if you casually sign people's keys, you
 831 may accidentally end up vouching for the identity of an imposter.</p>
 832
 833 <p>People who use your public key can see who has signed it. Once you've
 834 used GnuPG for a long time, your key may have hundreds of signatures. You
 835 can consider a key to be more trustworthy if it has many signatures from
 836 people that you trust. The Web of Trust is a constellation of GnuPG users,
 837 connected to each other by chains of trust expressed through signatures.</p>
 838
 839 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
 840
 841 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 842 <div id="step-5a" class="step">
 843 <div class="sidebar">
 844
 845 <p class="large"><img
 846 src="../static/img/en/screenshots/step5a-key-properties.png"
 847 alt="Section 5: trusting a key" /></p>
 848
 849 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
 850 <div class="main">
 851
 852 <h3><em>Step 5.a</em> Sign a key</h3>
 853
 854 <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>
 855
 856 <p>Under "Your Acceptance," you can select <i>Yes, I've verified in person this key has the correct fingerprint"</i>.</p>
 857
 858 <p class="notes">You've just effectively said "I trust that Edward's public
 859 key actually belongs to Edward." This doesn't mean much because Edward isn't
 860 a 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>
 861
 862 <!--<div id="pgp-pathfinder">
 863
 864 <form enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded" action="/mk_path.cgi"
 865 method="get">
 866
 867 <p><strong>From:</strong><input type="text" value="xD41A008"
 868 name="FROM"></p>
 869
 870 <p><strong>To:</strong><input type="text" value="50BD01x4" name="TO"></p>
 871
 872 <p class="buttons"><input type="submit" value="trust paths" name="PATHS"><input
 873 type="reset" value="reset" name=".reset"></p>
 874
 875 </form>
 876
 877 </div>End #pgp-pathfinder -->
 878 </div><!-- End .main -->
 879 </div><!-- End #step-5a .step -->
 880
 881 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 882 <div id="step-identify_keys" class="step">
 883 <div class="main">
 884
 885 <h3>Identifying keys: Fingerprints and IDs</h3>
 886
 887 <p>People's public keys are usually identified by their key fingerprint,
 888 which is a string of digits like F357AA1A5B1FA42CFD9FE52A9FF2194CC09A61E8
 889 (for Edward's key). You can see the fingerprint for your public key, and
 890 other public keys saved on your computer, by going to OpenPGP Key
 891 Management in your email program's menu, then right clicking on the key
 892 and choosing Key Properties. It's good practice to share your fingerprint
 893 wherever you share your email address, so that people can double-check that
 894 they have the correct public key when they download yours from a keyserver.</p>
 895
 896 <p class="notes">You may also see public keys referred to by a shorter
 897 keyID. This keyID is visible directly from the Key Management
 898 window. These eight character keyIDs were previously used for
 899 identification, which used to be safe, but is no longer reliable. You
 900 need to check the full fingerprint as part of verifying you have the
 901 correct key for the person you are trying to contact. Spoofing, in
 902 which someone intentionally generates a key with a fingerprint whose
 903 final eight characters are the same as another, is unfortunately
 904 common.</p>
 905
 906 </div><!-- End .main -->
 907 </div><!-- End #step-identify_keys .step-->
 908
 909 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 910 <div id="check-ids-before-signing" class="step">
 911 <div class="main">
 912
 913 <h3><em>Important:</em> What to consider when signing keys</h3>
 914
 915 <p>Before signing a person's key, you need to be confident that it actually
 916 belongs to them, and that they are who they say they are. Ideally, this
 917 confidence comes from having interactions and conversations with them over
 918 time, and witnessing interactions between them and others. Whenever signing
 919 a key, ask to see the full public key fingerprint, and not just the shorter
 920 keyID. If you feel it's important to sign the key of someone you've just
 921 met, also ask them to show you their government identification, and make
 922 sure the name on the ID matches the name on the public key.</p>
 923
 924 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 925 <div class="troubleshooting">
 926
 927 <h4>Advanced</h4>
 928
 929 <dl>
 930 <dt>Master the Web of Trust</dt>
 931 <dd>Unfortunately, trust does not spread between users the way <a
 932 href="https://fennetic.net/irc/finney.org/~hal/web_of_trust.html">many people
 933 think</a>. One of the best ways to strengthen the GnuPG community is to deeply <a
 934 href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x334.html">understand</a> the Web of
 935 Trust and to carefully sign as many people's keys as circumstances permit.</dd>
 936 </dl>
 937
 938 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
 939 </div><!-- End .main -->
 940 </div><!-- End #check-ids-before-signing .step-->
 941 </div></section><!-- End #section5 -->
 942
 943 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 6: Use it well ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 944 <section id="section6" class="row"><div>
 945
 946 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 947 <div class="section-intro">
 948
 949 <h2><em>#6</em> Use it well</h2>
 950
 951 <p>Everyone uses GnuPG a little differently, but it's important to follow
 952 some basic practices to keep your email secure. Not following them, you
 953 risk the privacy of the people you communicate with, as well as your own,
 954 and damage the Web of Trust.</p>
 955
 956 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
 957
 958 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 959 <div id="step-6a" class="step">
 960 <div class="sidebar">
 961
 962 <p class="medium"><img
 963 src="../static/img/en/screenshots/section6-01-use-it-well.png"
 964 alt="Section 6: Use it Well (1)" /></p>
 965
 966 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
 967 <div class="main">
 968
 969 <h3>When should I encrypt? When should I sign?</h3>
 970
 971 <p>The more you can encrypt your messages, the better. If you only encrypt
 972 emails occasionally, each encrypted message could raise a red flag for
 973 surveillance systems. If all or most of your email is encrypted, people
 974 doing surveillance won't know where to start. That's not to say that only
 975 encrypting some of your email isn't helpful -- it's a great start and it
 976 makes bulk surveillance more difficult.</p>
 977
 978 <p>Unless you don't want to reveal your own identity (which requires other
 979 protective measures), there's no reason not to sign every message, whether or
 980 not you are encrypting. In addition to allowing those with GnuPG to verify
 981 that the message came from you, signing is a non-intrusive way to remind
 982 everyone that you use GnuPG and show support for secure communication. If you
 983 often send signed messages to people that aren't familiar with GnuPG, it's
 984 nice to also include a link to this guide in your standard email signature
 985 (the text kind, not the cryptographic kind).</p>
 986
 987 </div><!-- End .main -->
 988 </div><!-- End #step-6a .step -->
 989
 990 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
 991 <div id="step-6b" class="step">
 992 <div class="sidebar">
 993
 994 <p class="medium"><img
 995 src="../static/img/en/screenshots/section6-02-use-it-well.png"
 996 alt="Section 6: Use it Well (2)" /></p>
 997
 998 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
 999 <div class="main">
1000
1001 <h3>Be wary of invalid keys</h3>
1002
1003 <p>GnuPG makes email safer, but it's still important to watch out for invalid
1004 keys, which might have fallen into the wrong hands. Email encrypted with
1005 invalid keys might be readable by surveillance programs.</p>
1006
1007 <p>In your email program, go back to the first encrypted email that Edward
1008 sent you. Because Edward encrypted it with your public key, it will have a
1009 green checkmark a at the top "OpenPGP" button.</p>
1010
1011 <p><strong>When using GnuPG, make a habit of glancing at that button. The program
1012 will warn you there if you get an email signed with a key that can't
1013 be trusted.</strong></p>
1014
1015 </div><!-- End .main -->
1016 </div><!-- End #step-6b .step -->
1017
1018 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1019 <div id="step-6c" class="step">
1020 <div class="main">
1021
1022 <h3>Copy your revocation certificate to somewhere safe</h3>
1023
1024 <p>Remember when you created your keys and saved the revocation certificate
1025 that 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>
1026
1027 <p>If your private key ever gets lost or stolen, you'll need this certificate
1028 file to let people know that you are no longer using that keypair.</p>
1029
1030 </div><!-- End .main -->
1031 </div><!-- End #step-6c .step -->
1032
1033 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1034 <div id="step-lost_key" class="step">
1035 <div class="main">
1036
1037 <h3><em>IMPORTANT:</em> ACT SWIFTLY if someone gets your private key</h3>
1038
1039 <p>If you lose your private key or someone else gets a hold
1040 of it (say, by stealing or cracking your computer), it's
1041 important to revoke it immediately before someone else uses
1042 it to read your encrypted email or forge your signature. This
1043 guide doesn't cover how to revoke a key, but you can follow these <a
1044 href="https://www.hackdiary.com/2004/01/18/revoking-a-gpg-key/">instructions</a>.
1045 After you're done revoking, make a new key and send an email to everyone
1046 with whom you usually use your key to make sure they know, including a copy
1047 of your new key.</p>
1048
1049 </div><!-- End .main -->
1050 </div><!-- End #step-lost_key .step-->
1051
1052 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1053 <div id="webmail-and-GnuPG" class="step">
1054 <div class="main">
1055
1056 <h3>Webmail and GnuPG</h3>
1057
1058 <p>When you use a web browser to access your email, you're using webmail,
1059 an email program stored on a distant website. Unlike webmail, your desktop
1060 email program runs on your own computer. Although webmail can't decrypt
1061 encrypted email, it will still display it in its encrypted form. If you
1062 primarily use webmail, you'll know to open your email client when you receive
1063 a scrambled email.</p>
1064
1065 </div><!-- End .main -->
1066 </div><!-- End #webmail-and-GnuPG .step-->
1067
1068 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1069 <div id="step-6d" class="step">
1070 <div class="main">
1071
1072 <h3>Make your public key part of your online identity</h3>
1073
1074 <p> First add your public key fingerprint to your email signature, then
1075 compose an email to at least five of your friends, telling them you just
1076 set up GnuPG and mentioning your public key fingerprint. Link to this guide
1077 and ask them to join you. Don't forget that there's also an awesome <a
1078 href="infographic.html">infographic to share.</a></p>
1079
1080 <p class="notes">Start writing your public key fingerprint anywhere someone
1081 would see your email address: your social media profiles, blog, Website,
1082 or business card. (At the Free Software Foundation, we put ours on our
1083 <a href="https://fsf.org/about/staff">staff page</a>.) We need to get our
1084 culture to the point that we feel like something is missing when we see an
1085 email address without a public key fingerprint.</p>
1086
1087 </div><!-- End .main-->
1088 </div><!-- End #step-6d .step-->
1089 </div></section><!-- End #section6 -->
1090
1091 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 7: Next steps ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1092 <section class="row" id="section7">
1093 <div id="step-click_here" class="step">
1094 <div class="main">
1095
1096 <h2><a href="next_steps.html">Great job! Check out the next steps.</a></h2>
1097
1098 </div><!-- End .main -->
1099 </div><!-- End #step-click_here .step-->
1100 </section><!-- End #section7 -->
1101
1102 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ FAQ ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1103 <!-- When un-commenting this section go to main.css and search
1104 for /* Guide Sections Background */ then add #faq to the desired color
1105 <section class="row" id="faq"><div>
1106 <div class="sidebar">
1107
1108 <h2>FAQ</h2>
1109
1110 </div>
1111 <div class="main">
1112
1113 <dl>
1114 <dt>My key expired</dt>
1115 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1116
1117 <dt>Who can read encrypted messages? Who can read signed ones?</dt>
1118 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1119
1120 <dt>My email program is opening at times I don't want it to open/is now my
1121 default program and I don't want it to be.</dt>
1122 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1123 </dl>
1124
1125 </div>
1126 </div>
1127 </section> --><!-- End #faq -->
1128
1129 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Footer ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1130 <footer class="row" id="footer"><div>
1131 <div id="copyright">
1132
1133 <h4><a href="https://u.fsf.org/ys"><img
1134 alt="Free Software Foundation"
1135 src="../static/img/fsf-logo.png" /></a></h4>
1136
1137 <p>Copyright &copy; 2014-2021 <a
1138 href="https://u.fsf.org/ys">Free Software Foundation</a>, Inc. <a
1139 href="https://my.fsf.org/donate/privacypolicy.html">Privacy Policy</a>. Please
1140 support our work by <a href="https://u.fsf.org/yr">joining us as an associate
1141 member.</a></p>
1142
1143 <p>The images on this page are under a <a
1144 href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons
1145 Attribution 4.0 license (or later version)</a>, and the rest of it is under
1146 a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0">Creative Commons
1147 Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license (or later version)</a>. Download the <a
1148 href="https://agpl.fsf.org/emailselfdefense.fsf.org/edward/CURRENT/edward.tar.gz">
1149 source code of Edward reply bot</a> by Andrew Engelbrecht
1150 &lt;andrew@engelbrecht.io&gt; and Josh Drake &lt;zamnedix@gnu.org&gt;,
1151 available under the GNU Affero General Public License. <a
1152 href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#OtherLicenses">Why these
1153 licenses?</a></p>
1154
1155 <p>Fonts used in the guide &amp; infographic: <a
1156 href="https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Dosis">Dosis</a> by Pablo
1157 Impallari, <a href="https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Signika">Signika</a>
1158 by Anna Giedry&#347;, <a
1159 href="https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Archivo+Narrow">Archivo
1160 Narrow</a> by Omnibus-Type, <a
1161 href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Graphics_Howto#Pitfalls">PXL-2000</a>
1162 by Florian Cramer.</p>
1163
1164 <p>Download the <a href="emailselfdefense_source.zip">source package</a>
1165 for this guide, including fonts, image source files and the text of Edward's
1166 messages.</p>
1167
1168 <p>This site uses the Weblabels standard for labeling <a
1169 href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/freejs">free JavaScript</a>. View
1170 the JavaScript <a href="https://weblabels.fsf.org/emailselfdefense.fsf.org/"
1171 rel="jslicense">source code and license information</a>.</p>
1172
1173 </div><!-- /#copyright -->
1174
1175 <p class="credits">Infographic and guide design by <a rel="external"
1176 href="https://jplusplus.org"><strong>Journalism++</strong><img
1177 src="static/img/jplusplus.png"
1178 alt="Journalism++" /></a></p><!-- /.credits -->
1179 </div></footer><!-- End #footer -->
1180
1181
1182 <script type="text/javascript"
1183 src="../static/js/jquery-1.11.0.min.js"></script>
1184 <script type="text/javascript"
1185 src="../static/js/scripts.js"></script>
1186 <!-- Piwik -->
1187 <script type="text/javascript">
1188   // @license magnet:?xt=urn:btih:cf05388f2679ee054f2beb29a391d25f4e673ac3&amp;dn=gpl-2.0.txt GPL-2.0-or-later
1189   var _paq = _paq || [];
1190   _paq.push(["trackPageView"]);
1191   _paq.push(["enableLinkTracking"]);
1192
1193   (function() {
1194     var u = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https" : "http") + "://"+"piwik.fsf.org//";
1195     _paq.push(["setTrackerUrl", u+"piwik.php"]);
1196     _paq.push(["setSiteId", "13"]);
1197     var d=document, g=d.createElement("script"), s=d.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; g.type="text/javascript";
1198     g.defer=true; g.async=true; g.src=u+"piwik.js"; s.parentNode.insertBefore(g,s);
1199   })();
1200   // @license-end
1201 </script>
1202 <!-- End Piwik Code -->
1203 <!-- Piwik Image Tracker -->
1204 <noscript><img src="https://piwik.fsf.org//piwik.php?idsite=13&amp;rec=1" style="border:0" alt="" /></noscript>
1205 <!-- End Piwik -->
1206 </body>
1207 </html>