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5 <title>Email Self-Defense - a guide to fighting surveillance with GnuPG
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11 self-defense in 40 minutes with GnuPG." />
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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to Enigmail's PGP functionality being migrated into Icedove and Thunderbird, steps 2 and 3 of the guide are currently out of date.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>-->
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264 Free software has become a vital global movement for user autonomy.
270 Without free software, we cannot and will not have a free society.
<b>We rely on donations from people like you, who use and appreciate our work.
</b> Fuel our journey forward, and help us reach our ultimate destination: full software freedom.
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303 // @license magnet:?xt=urn:btih:
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307 var startTime, endTime, switchTextTime;
309 startTime = new Date('
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00Z');
310 switchTextTime = new Date('
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311 // endTime is unused.
312 endTime = new Date('
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314 // Possibly switch the text that is displayed in the modal window, depending
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328 <p>Free software has become a vital global movement for user autonomy.<\/p
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397 fsfModalWindowElemDontShowForAWhile();
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438 <!-- End fsf-modal-window-elem campaign element -->
440 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ GnuPG Header and introduction text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
441 <header class=
"row" id=
"header"><div>
444 <h1>Email Self-Defense
</h1>
446 <!-- Language list for browsers that do not have JS enabled -->
447 <ul id=
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448 <!--<li><a class="current" href="/en">English - v4.0</a></li>
449 <li><a href="/cs">čeština - v4.0</a></li>
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464 <li><a href=
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465 <strong><span style=
"color: #2F5FAA;">Translate!
</span></strong></a></li>
468 <ul id=
"menu" class=
"os">
469 <li class=
"spacer"><a href=
"index.html" class=
"current">Set up guide
</a></li>
470 <!--<li><a href="mac.html">Mac OS</a></li>-->
471 <!--<li><a href="windows.html">Windows</a></li>-->
472 <li class=
"spacer"><a href=
"workshops.html">Teach your friends
</a></li>
473 <li class=
"spacer"><a
474 href=
"https://fsf.org/share?u=https://u.fsf.org/zb&t=Email encryption for everyone via %40fsf">
476 <img src=
"/static/img/gnu-social.png" class=
"share-logo"
477 alt=
"[GNU Social]" />
478 <img src=
"/static/img/mastodon.png" class=
"share-logo"
479 alt=
"[Mastodon]" />
480 <img src=
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481 alt=
"[Reddit]" />
482 <img src=
"/static/img/hacker-news.png" class=
"share-logo"
483 alt=
"[Hacker News]" /></a></li>
486 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ FSF Introduction ~~~~~~~~~ -->
489 <h3><a href=
"https://u.fsf.org/ys"><img
490 alt=
"Free Software Foundation"
491 src=
"/static/img/fsf-logo.png" />
494 <div class=
"fsf-emphasis">
496 <p>We fight for computer users' rights, and promote the development of free (as
497 in freedom) software. Resisting bulk surveillance is very important to us.
</p>
499 <p><strong>Please donate to support Email Self-Defense. We need to keep
500 improving it, and making more materials, for the benefit of people around
501 the world taking the first step towards protecting their privacy.
</strong></p>
506 href=
"https://crm.fsf.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=14&mtm_campaign=email_self_defense&mtm_kwd=guide_donate"><img
508 src=
"/static/img/en/donate.png" /></a></p>
510 </div><!-- End #fsf-intro -->
512 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Guide Introduction ~~~~~~~~~ -->
515 <p><a id=
"infographic" href=
"infographic.html"><img
516 src=
"/static/img/en/infographic-button.png"
517 alt=
"View & share our infographic →" /></a>
518 Bulk surveillance violates our fundamental rights and makes free speech
519 risky. This guide will teach you a basic surveillance self-defense skill: email
520 encryption. Once you've finished, you'll be able to send and receive emails
521 that are scrambled to make sure a surveillance agent or thief intercepting
522 your email can't read them. All you need is a computer with an Internet
523 connection, an email account, and about forty minutes.
</p>
525 <p>Even if you have nothing to hide, using encryption helps protect the privacy
526 of people you communicate with, and makes life difficult for bulk surveillance
527 systems. If you do have something important to hide, you're in good company;
528 these are the same tools that whistleblowers use to protect their identities
529 while shining light on human rights abuses, corruption, and other crimes.
</p>
531 <p>In addition to using encryption, standing up
532 to surveillance requires fighting politically for a
<a
533 href=
"https://gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html">reduction
534 in the amount of data collected on us
</a>, but the essential first step is
535 to protect yourself and make surveillance of your communication as difficult
536 as possible. This guide helps you do that. It is designed for beginners, but
537 if you already know the basics of GnuPG or are an experienced free software
538 user, you'll enjoy the advanced tips and the
<a href=
"workshops.html">guide
539 to teaching your friends
</a>.
</p>
541 </div><!-- End .intro -->
542 </div></header><!-- End #header -->
544 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 1: Get the pieces ~~~~~~~~~ -->
545 <section class=
"row" id=
"section1"><div>
547 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
548 <div class=
"section-intro">
550 <h2><em>#
1</em> Get the pieces
</h2>
552 <p class=
"notes">This guide relies on software which is
<a
553 href=
"https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">freely licensed
</a>;
554 it's completely transparent and anyone can copy it or make their
555 own version. This makes it safer from surveillance than proprietary
556 software (like Windows or macOS). Learn more about free software at
<a
557 href=
"https://u.fsf.org/ys">fsf.org
</a>.
</p>
559 <p>Most GNU/Linux operating systems come with GnuPG installed on them,
560 so you don't have to download it. Before configuring your encryption setup with this guide, though, you'll need a desktop email program based on Thunderbird installed on your computer. Many GNU/Linux distributions have Thunderbird installed already. If you're using a
<a href=
"https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html">fully free distribution of GNU/Linux
</a>, we recommend installing
"Icedove" instead. 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>
562 <p>If you already have an email program, you can skip to
<a
563 href=
"#section2">Step
2</a>.
</p>
565 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
567 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
568 <div id=
"step-1a" class=
"step">
569 <div class=
"sidebar">
572 src=
"/static/img/en/screenshots/step1a-install-wizard.png"
573 alt=
"Step 1.A: Install Wizard" /></p>
575 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
578 <h3><em>Step
1.a
</em> Set up your email program with your email account
</h3>
580 <p>Open your email program and follow the wizard (step-by-step walkthrough)
581 that sets it up with your email account. This usually starts from
"Account Settings" → "Add Mail Account". You should get the email server settings from your systems administrator or the help section of your email account.
</p>
584 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
585 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
587 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
590 <dt>The wizard doesn't launch
</dt>
591 <dd>You can launch the wizard yourself, but the menu option for doing so is
592 named differently in each email program. The button to launch it will be in
593 the program's main menu, under
"New" or something similar, titled something
594 like
"Add account" or
"New/Existing email account."</dd>
596 <dt>The wizard can't find my account or isn't downloading my mail
</dt>
597 <dd>Before searching the Web, we recommend you start by asking other people
598 who use your email system, to figure out the correct settings.
</dd>
600 <dt>I can't find the menu.
</dt>
601 <dd>In many new email programs, the main menu is represented by an image of
602 three stacked horizontal bars.
</dd>
604 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
605 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
606 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
610 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
611 </div><!-- End .main -->
612 </div><!-- End #step1-a .step -->
614 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
615 <div id=
"step-1b" class=
"step">
618 <h3><em>Step
1.b
</em> Get your terminal ready and install GnuPG
</h3>
620 <p>If you are using a GNU/Linux machine, you should already have GnuPG installed, and you can skip to
<a href=
"#section2">Step
2</a>.
</p>
621 <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>
623 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ MACOS ~~~~~~~~~ -->
624 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
629 <dt>Use a third-party package manager to install GnuPG
</dt>
630 <dd>Your macOS comes with a terminal pre-installed, which we'll use to setup your encryption with GnuPG. However, the default macOS package manager makes it difficult to install GnuPG and other pieces of free software (like Emacs, GIMP, or Inkscape).
</p>
631 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 your terminal. Click
"Enter" and wait for it to finalize.
</p>
632 When it is done, install the program by entering the following code:
</p>
633 <text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">brew install gnupg gnupg2
</text>. After installation is done, you can follow the steps of the rest of this guide.
</dd>
636 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
638 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ WINDOWS ~~~~~~~~~ -->
639 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
644 <dt>Get GnuPG by downloading GPG4Win
</dt>
645 <dd><a href=
"https://www.gpg4win.org/">GPG4Win
</a> is a email and file encryption software package that includes GnuPG. Download and install the latest version, choosing default options whenever asked. After it's installed, you can close any windows that it creates.
</p>
646 Open the
"Powershell" and follow the steps of the rest of this guide.
648 <p class=
"notes">We use the word
"terminal" in the rest of this guide, but on your Windows machine, that program will be called
"PowerShell."</p>
652 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
653 </div><!-- End .main -->
654 </div><!-- End #step1-b .step -->
656 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
657 <div id=
"terminology" class=
"step">
660 <h3>GnuPG, OpenPGP, what?
</h3>
662 <p>In general, the terms GnuPG, GPG, GNU Privacy Guard, OpenPGP and PGP
663 are used interchangeably. Technically, OpenPGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is the
664 encryption standard, and GNU Privacy Guard (often shortened to GPG or GnuPG)
665 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>
667 </div><!-- End .main -->
668 </div><!-- End #terminology.step-->
670 </div></section><!-- End #section1 -->
672 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 2: Make your keys ~~~~~~~~~ -->
673 <section id=
"section2" class=
"row"><div>
675 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
676 <div class=
"section-intro">
678 <h2><em>#
2</em> Make your keys
</h2>
679 <p><img style=
"float:right; width:400px; margin-bottom:20px;" src=
"/static/img/en/screenshots/step2a-01-make-keypair.png" alt=
"A robot with a head shaped like a key holding a private and a public key"/></p>
681 <p>To use the GnuPG system, you'll need a public key and a private key (known
682 together as a keypair). Each is a long string of randomly generated numbers
683 and letters that are unique to you. Your public and private keys are linked
684 together by a special mathematical function.
</p>
686 <p>Your public key isn't like a physical key, because it's stored in the open
687 in an online directory called a keyserver. People download it and use it,
688 along with GnuPG, to encrypt emails they send to you. You can think of the
689 keyserver as a phonebook; people who want to send you encrypted email can
690 look up your public key.
</p>
692 <p>Your private key is more like a physical key, because you keep it to
693 yourself (on your computer). You use GnuPG and your private key together to
694 descramble encrypted emails other people send to you.
<span style=
"font-weight:
695 bold;">You should never share your private key with anyone, under any
696 circumstances.
</span></p>
698 <p>In addition to encryption and decryption, you can also use these keys to
699 sign messages and check the authenticity of other people's signatures. We'll
700 discuss this more in the next section.
</p>
702 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
704 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
705 <div id=
"step-2a" class=
"step">
706 <div class=
"sidebar">
708 src=
"/static/img/en/screenshots/step2a-02-make-keypair.png"
709 alt=
"Step 2.A: Make your Keypair" text=
"Make a keypair" /></p>
712 src=
"/static/img/en/screenshots/step2a-03-make-keypair.png"
713 alt=
"Step 2.A: Set your passphrase" /></p>
716 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
719 <h3><em>Step
2.a
</em> Make a keypair
</h3>
720 <h6>Make your keypair
</h6>
721 <p>We will use the command line to create a keypair using the gnupg program. This should be installed on your GNU/Linux operating system.
722 Open a terminal using
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">ctrl + alt + t
</text>, or find it in your applications, and use the following code to create your keypair:
</p>
724 <p>#
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --full-generate-key
</text> to start the process.
</p>
725 <p># To answer what kind of key you would like to create, select the default option
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;"> 1 RSA and RSA
<text>.
</p>
726 <p># Enter the following keysize:
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">4096</text> for a strong key.
</p>
727 <p># Choose the expiration date, we suggest
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">2y
</text> (
2 years).
</p>
728 <p>Follow the prompts to continue setting up with your personal details.
</p>
731 <h6>Set your passphrase
</h6>
732 <p>On the screen titled
"Passphrase," pick a strong password! You can
733 do it manually, or you can use the Diceware method. Doing it manually
734 is faster but not as secure. Using Diceware takes longer and requires
735 dice, but creates a password that is much harder for attackers to figure
736 out. To use it, read the section
"Make a secure passphrase with Diceware" in
<a
737 href=
"https://theintercept.com/2015/03/26/passphrases-can-memorize-attackers-cant-guess/">
738 this article
</a> by Micah Lee.
</p>
741 <p>If you'd like to pick a passphrase manually, come up with something
742 you can remember which is at least twelve characters long, and includes
743 at least one lower case and upper case letter and at least one number or
744 punctuation symbol. Never pick a password you've used elsewhere. Don't use
745 any recognizable patterns, such as birthdays, telephone numbers, pets' names,
746 song lyrics, quotes from books, and so on.
</p>
750 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
751 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
753 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
755 <dt>GnuPG is not installed
</dt>
757 GPG is not installed. You can check if this is the case with the command
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --version
</text>
758 If GnuPG is not installed, it would bring up the following result on most GNU/Linux operating systems, or something like it:
759 <text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">Command 'gpg' not found, but can be installed with:
760 sudo apt install gnupg
</text>. Follow that command and install the program.
</dd>
762 <dt>I took too long to create my passphrase
</dt>
763 <dd>That's okay. It's important to think about your passphrase, when you're ready, just follow the steps to create your key again.
</dd>
765 <dt>How can i see my key?
</dt>
767 Use the following command to see all keys
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --list-keys
</text>. Yours should be listed in there, and later, so will Edward's (
<a href=
"#section3">section
3</a>). If you want to see only your key, you can use
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --list-key [your@email]
</text>
768 You can also use
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --list-secret-key
</text> to see your own private key.
</dd>
770 <dt>More resources
</dt>
771 <dd>For more information about this process, you can also refer to
<a
772 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/c14.html#AEN25">The GNU Privacy
773 Handbook
</a>. Make sure you stick with
"RSA and RSA" (the default),
774 because it's newer and more secure than the algorithms the documentation
775 recommends. Also make sure your key is at least
4096 bits if you
776 want to be secure.
</dd>
778 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
779 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
780 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
784 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
786 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
787 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
791 <dt>Advanced key pairs
</dt>
792 <dd>When GnuPG creates a new keypair, it compartmentalizes
793 the encryption function from the signing function through
<a
794 href=
"https://wiki.debian.org/Subkeys">subkeys
</a>. If you use
795 subkeys carefully, you can keep your GnuPG identity more
796 secure and recover from a compromised key much more quickly.
<a
797 href=
"https://alexcabal.com/creating-the-perfect-gpg-keypair/">Alex Cabal
</a>
798 and
<a href=
"https://keyring.debian.org/creating-key.html">the Debian wiki
</a>
799 provide good guides for setting up a secure subkey configuration.
</dd>
801 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
802 </div><!-- End .main -->
803 </div><!-- End #step-2a .step -->
805 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
806 <div id=
"step-2b" class=
"step">
807 <div class=
"sidebar">
809 src=
"/static/img/en/screenshots/step2b-04-upload-and-certificate.png"
810 alt=
"Step 2.B: Send to server and generate a certificate" /></p>
812 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
815 <h3><em>Step
2.b
</em> Some important steps following creation
</h3>
817 <h6>Upload your key to a keyserver
</h6>
818 <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
819 that you can select from the menu when you upload, but they are all copies
820 of each other, so it doesn't matter which one you use. However, it sometimes
821 takes a few hours for them to match each other when a new key is uploaded.
</p>
822 <p># Copy your keyID
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gnupg --list-key [your@email]
</text> 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>
823 <p># Upload your key to a server:
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --send-key [keyID]
</text></p>
827 <h6>Export your key to a file
</h6>
828 <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>
830 <text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">
831 <p>$ gpg --export-secret-keys -a keyid
> my_secret_key.asc
</p>
832 <p>$ gpg --export -a keyid
> my_public_key.asc
</p>
837 <h6>Generate a revocation certificate
</h6>
838 <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 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
840 <p># Copy your keyID
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gnupg --list-key [your@email]
</text> 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>
841 <p># Upload your key to a server:
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --output revoke.asc [keyID]
</text></p>
842 <p># It will prompt you to give a reason for revocation, we recommend to use
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">1 "key has been compromised"</text></p>
843 <p># You don't have to fill in a reason, but you can, then press enter for an empty line, and comfirm your selection.
</p>
847 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
848 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
850 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
853 <dt>My key doesn't seem to be working or I get a
"permission denied".
</dt>
854 <dd>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>
856 # Check your permissions:
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">ls -l ~/.gnupg/*
</text></p>
857 # Set permissions to read, write, execute for only yourself, no others. This is the recommended permission for your folder, you can use the code
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa">
858 chmod
700 ~/.gnupg
</text>.
</p>
859 # Set permissions to read, write for only yourself, no others. This is the recommended permission for the keys inside your folder, you can use the code:
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">chmod
600 ~/.gnupg/*
</text>.
</p>
861 <p class=
"notes"><p>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>
863 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
864 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
865 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
869 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
871 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
872 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
877 <dt>More about keyservers
</dt>
878 <dd>You can find some more keyserver information
<a
879 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x457.html"> in this manual
</a>.
<a
880 href=
"https://sks-keyservers.net/overview-of-pools.php">The sks Web site
</a>
881 maintains a list of highly interconnected keyservers. You can also
<a
882 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x56.html#AEN64">directly export
883 your key
</a> as a file on your computer.
</dd>
885 <dt>Transferring your keys
</dt>
886 <dd>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>
888 <text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">
889 $ gpg --export-secret-keys -a keyid
> my_private_key.asc
</p>
890 $ gpg --export -a keyid
> my_public_key.asc
</p>
893 <text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">
894 $ gpg --import my_private_key.asc
</p>
895 $ gpg --import my_public_key.asc
</p>
898 Ensure that the keyID printed is the correct one, and if so, then go ahead and add ultimate trust for it:
</p>
899 <text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">
900 $ gpg --edit-key [your@email]
</p>
903 Because this is your key, you should choose
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">ultimate
</text>. You shouldn't trust anyone else's key ultimately.
905 <p class=
"notes"> Refer to
<a href=
"#step-2b">troubleshoot in step
2.B
</a> for more information on permissions. When transferring keys, your permissions may get mixed, and errors may be prompted. These are easily avoided when your folders and files have the right permissions
</p>
909 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
910 </div><!-- End .main -->
911 </div><!-- End #step-2b .step -->
912 </div></section><!-- End #section2 -->
914 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 3: Set up email encryption ~~~~~~~~~ -->
915 <section id=
"section3" class=
"row"><div>
917 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
918 <div class=
"section-intro">
920 <h2><em>#
3</em> Set up email encryption
</h2>
921 <p class=
"notes"><p>Icedove and Thunderbird email programs have 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>
923 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
925 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
926 <div id=
"step-3a" class=
"step">
927 <div class=
"sidebar">
929 <p><img src=
"/static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-open-key-manager.png"
930 alt=
"Step 3.A: Thunderbird Menu" /></p>
932 <p><img src=
"/static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-import-from-file.png"
933 alt=
"Step 3.A: Import From File" /></p>
935 <p><img src=
"/static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-success.png"
936 alt=
"Step 3.A: Success" /></p>
938 <p><img src=
"/static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-troubleshoot.png"
939 alt=
"Step 3.A: Troubleshoot" /></p>
940 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
943 <h3><em>Step
3.a
</em> Set up your email with encryption
</h3>
944 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.
946 <p># Open your email client and use
"Tools" → <text style=
"color:#2f5faa;">OpenPGP Manager
</p></text></p>
947 <p># Under
"File" → <text style=
"color:#2f5faa;">Import Secret Key(s) From File
</text></p>
948 <p># Select the file you saved under the name [my_secret_key.asc] in step
<a href=
"#step-3b">step
3.b
</a> when you exported your key
</p>
949 <p># Unlock with your passphrase
</p>
950 <p># You will receive a
"OpenPGP keys successfully imported" window to confirm success
</p>
951 <p># Go to
"Edit" (in Icedove) or
"Tools" (in Thunderbird)
→ "Account settings" → "End-To-End Encryption," and make sure your key is imported and select
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa;">Treat this key as a Personal Key
</text>.
</p>
953 </div><!-- End .main -->
955 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
957 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
958 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
960 <dt>I'm not sure the import worked correctly
</dt>
962 Under
"Edit" (in Icedove) or
"Tools" (in Thunderbird) look for
"Account settings" → "End-To-End Encryption" you can see if your personal key associated with this email is found. If it is not, you can try again via the
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa;">Add key
</text> option. Make sure you have the correct, active, secret key file.
965 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
966 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
967 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
971 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
972 </div><!-- End .main -->
973 </div><!-- End #step3-a .step -->
974 </div></section><!-- End #section3 -->
976 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 4: Try it out ~~~~~~~~~ -->
977 <section class=
"row" id=
"section4"><div>
979 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
980 <div class=
"section-intro">
982 <h2><em>#
4</em> Try it out!
</h2>
983 <p><img style=
"float:right; width:250px; margin-bottom:20px;" src=
"/static/img/en/screenshots/section3-try-it-out.png" alt=
"Illustration of a person in a house with a cat connected to a server"/></p>
984 <p>Now you'll try a test correspondence with an FSF computer program named Edward,
985 who knows how to use encryption. Except where noted, these are the same
986 steps you'd follow when corresponding with a real, live person.
</p>
988 <!-- <p>NOTE: Edward is currently having some technical difficulties, so he
989 may take a long time to respond, or not respond at all. We're sorry about
990 this and we're working hard to fix it. Your key will still work even without
991 testing with Edward.</p> -->
992 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
994 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
995 <div id=
"step-4a" class=
"step">
996 <div class=
"sidebar">
999 src=
"https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev1/img/en/screenshots/step4a-send-key-to-Edward.png"
1000 alt=
"Step 4.A Send key to Edward." /></p>
1002 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
1005 <h3><em>Step
4.a
</em> Send Edward your public key
</h3>
1007 <p>This is a special step that you won't have to do when corresponding
1008 with real people. In your email program's menu, go to
"Tools" → "OpenPGP Key
1009 Manager." You should see your key in the list that pops up. Right click
1010 on your key and select
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa;">Send Public Keys by Email
</text>. 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>
1012 <p>Address the message to
<a
1013 href=
"mailto:edward-en@fsf.org">edward-en@fsf.org
</a>. Put at least one word
1014 (whatever you want) in the subject and body of the email. Don't send yet.
</p>
1016 <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
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa">Do Not Encrypt
</text>. Once encryption is off, hit Send.
</p>
1018 <p class=
"notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
1019 respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the
<a
1020 href=
"#section6">Use it Well
</a> section of this guide. Once you received a response,
1021 head to the next step. From here on, you'll be doing just the same thing as
1022 when corresponding with a real person.
</p>
1024 <p>When you open Edward's reply, GnuPG may prompt you for your passphrase
1025 before using your private key to decrypt it.
</p>
1027 </div><!-- End .main -->
1028 </div><!-- End #step-4a .step -->
1030 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1031 <div id=
"step-4b" class=
"step">
1032 <div class=
"sidebar">
1035 src=
"/static/img/en/screenshots/step4b-option1-verify-key.png"
1036 alt=
"Step 4.B Option 1. Verify key" /></p>
1040 src=
"/static/img/en/screenshots/step4b-option2-import-key.png"
1041 alt=
"Step 4.B Option 2. Import key" /></p>
1042 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
1046 <h3><em>Step
4.b
</em> Send a test encrypted email
</h3>
1047 <h6>Get Edward's key
</h6>
1048 <p>To encrypt an email to Edward, you need its public key, so now you'll have
1049 to download it from a keyserver. You can do this in two different ways:
</p>
1050 <p>Option
1. 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
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa">Discover
</text> next to the text:
"This message was sent with a key that you don't have yet." A popup with Edward's key details will follow.
1052 <p>Option
2. Open your OpenPGP manager and under
"Keyserver" choose
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa">Discover Keys Online
</text>. Here, fill in Edward's email address, and import Edward's key.
1054 <p>The option
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa">Accepted (unverified)
</text> 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>
1056 <p class=
"notes">Edward has many different emails associated with its key, you can safely import the key.
</p>
1058 <p class=
"notes">Since you encrypted this email with Edward's public key,
1059 Edward's private key is required to decrypt it. Edward is the only one with
1060 its private key, so no one except Edward can decrypt it.
</p>
1063 <h6>Send Edward an encrypted email
</h6>
1065 <p> Write a new email in your email program, addressed to
<a
1066 href=
"mailto:edward-en@fsf.org">edward-en@fsf.org
</a>. Make the subject
1067 "Encryption test" or something similar and write something in the body.
</p>
1069 <p>This time, make sure encryption is turned on by using the drowpdown menu
"Security" and select
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa">Require Encryption
</text>. Once encryption is on, hit Send.
</p>
1073 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1074 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
1076 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
1079 <dt>"Recipients not valid, not trusted or not found"</dt>
1080 <dd>You may be trying to send an encrypted email to someone when you do not have their public key yet. Make sure you follow the steps above to import the key to your key manager. Open OpenPGP Key Manager to make sure the recipient is listed there.
</dd>
1082 <dt>Unable to send message
</dt>
1083 <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," if you go to the
"key properties" of this key by right clicking on the key in the OpenPGP Key Manager, you can select the option
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa">Yes, but I have not verified that this is the correct key.
</text> in the
"Acceptance" option at the bottom of this window. Resend the email.
</dd>
1085 <dt>I can't find Edward's key
</dt>
1086 <dd>Close the pop-ups that have appeared since you clicked Send. Make sure
1087 you are connected to the Internet and try again. If that doesn't work, repeat
1088 the process, choosing a different keyserver when it asks you to pick one.
</dd>
1090 <dt>Unscrambled messages in the Sent folder
</dt>
1091 <dd>Even though you can't decrypt messages encrypted to someone else's key,
1092 your email program will automatically save a copy encrypted to your public key,
1093 which you'll be able to view from the Sent folder like a normal email. This
1094 is normal, and it doesn't mean that your email was not sent encrypted.
</dd>
1096 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
1097 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
1098 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
1102 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
1104 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1105 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
1110 <dt>Encrypt messages from the command line
</dt>
1111 <dd>You can also encrypt and decrypt messages and files from the
<a
1112 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x110.html">command line
</a>,
1113 if that's your preference. The option --armor makes the encrypted output
1114 appear in the regular character set.
</dd>
1117 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
1118 </div><!-- End .main -->
1119 </div><!-- End #step-4b .step -->
1121 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1122 <div id=
"step-headers_unencrypted" class=
"step">
1125 <h3><em>Important:
</em> Security tips
</h3>
1127 <p>Even if you encrypt your email, the subject line is not encrypted, so
1128 don't put private information there. The sending and receiving addresses
1129 aren't encrypted either, so a surveillance system can still figure out who
1130 you're communicating with. Also, surveillance agents will know that you're
1131 using GnuPG, even if they can't figure out what you're saying. When you
1132 send attachments, you can choose to encrypt them or not,
1133 independent of the actual email.
</p>
1135 <p>For greater security against potential attacks, you can turn off
1136 HTML. Instead, you can render the message body as plain text. In order
1137 to do this in email clients based on Thunderbird, go to View
> Message Body As
> Plain
1140 </div><!-- End .main -->
1141 </div><!-- End #step-headers_unencrypted .step-->
1143 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1144 <div id=
"step-4c" class=
"step">
1145 <div class=
"sidebar">
1148 src=
"/static/img/en/screenshots/step4c-Edward-response.png"
1149 alt=
"Step 4.C Edward's response" /></p>
1151 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
1155 <h3><em>Step
4.c
</em> Receive a response
</h3>
1157 <p>When Edward receives your email, it will use its private key to decrypt
1158 it, then reply to you.
</p>
1160 <p class=
"notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
1161 respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the
<a
1162 href=
"#section6">Use it Well
</a> section of this guide.
</p>
1164 <p>Edward will send you an encrypted email back saying your email was received and decypted. Your email client will automatically decrypt Edward's message.
</p>
1166 <p class=
"notes">The OpenPGP button in the email will show a little green checkmark over the lock symbol to show the message is encypted, 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>
1168 </div><!-- End .main -->
1169 </div><!-- End #step-4c .step -->
1171 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1172 <div id=
"step-4d" class=
"step">
1175 <h3><em>Step
4.d
</em> Send a signed test email
</h3>
1177 <p>GnuPG includes a way for you to sign messages and files, verifying that
1178 they came from you and that they weren't tampered with along the way. These
1179 signatures are stronger than their pen-and-paper cousins -- they're impossible
1180 to forge, because they're impossible to create without your private key
1181 (another reason to keep your private key safe).
</p>
1183 <p>You can sign messages to anyone, so it's a great way to make people
1184 aware that you use GnuPG and that they can communicate with you securely. If
1185 they don't have GnuPG, they will be able to read your message and see your
1186 signature. If they do have GnuPG, they'll also be able to verify that your
1187 signature is authentic.
</p>
1189 <p>To sign an email to Edward, compose any message to the email address and click the
1190 pencil icon next to the lock icon so that it turns gold. If you sign a
1191 message, GnuPG may ask you for your password before it sends the message,
1192 because it needs to unlock your private key for signing.
</p>
1194 <p>In
"Account Settings" → "End-To-End-Encryption" you can opt to
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa">add digital signature by default
</text>.
</p>
1196 </div><!-- End .main -->
1197 </div><!-- End #step-4d .step -->
1199 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1200 <div id=
"step-4e" class=
"step">
1203 <h3><em>Step
4.e
</em> Receive a response
</h3>
1205 <p>When Edward receives your email, he will use your public key (which
1206 you sent him in
<a href=
"#step-3a">Step
3.A
</a>) to verify the message
1207 you sent has not been tampered with and to encrypt a reply to you.
</p>
1209 <p class=
"notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
1210 respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the
<a
1211 href=
"#section6">Use it Well
</a> section of this guide.
</p>
1213 <p>Edward's reply will arrive encrypted, because he prefers to use encryption
1214 whenever possible. If everything goes according to plan, it should say
1215 "Your signature was verified." If your test signed email was also encrypted,
1216 he will mention that first.
</p>
1218 <p>When you receive Edward's email and open it, your email client will
1219 automatically detect that it is encrypted with your public key, and
1220 then it will use your private key to decrypt it.
</p>
1222 </div><!-- End .main -->
1223 </div><!-- End #step-4e .step -->
1226 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 5: Learn About the Web of Trust ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1227 <section class=
"row" id=
"section5"><div>
1229 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1230 <div class=
"section-intro">
1232 <h2><em>#
5</em> Learn the Web of Trust
</h2>
1233 <p><img style=
"float:right; width:250px; margin-bottom:20px;" src=
"/static/img/en/screenshots/section4-web-of-trust.png" alt=
"Illustration of keys all interconnected with a web of lines"/></p>
1235 <p>Email encryption is a powerful technology, but it has a weakness;
1236 it requires a way to verify that a person's public key is actually
1237 theirs. Otherwise, there would be no way to stop an attacker from making
1238 an email address with your friend's name, creating keys to go with it and
1239 impersonating your friend. That's why the free software programmers that
1240 developed email encryption created keysigning and the Web of Trust.
</p>
1242 <p>When you sign someone's key, you are publicly saying that you've verified
1243 that it belongs to them and not someone else.
</p>
1245 <p>Signing keys and signing messages use the same type of mathematical
1246 operation, but they carry very different implications. It's a good practice
1247 to generally sign your email, but if you casually sign people's keys, you
1248 may accidently end up vouching for the identity of an imposter.
</p>
1250 <p>People who use your public key can see who has signed it. Once you've
1251 used GnuPG for a long time, your key may have hundreds of signatures. You
1252 can consider a key to be more trustworthy if it has many signatures from
1253 people that you trust. The Web of Trust is a constellation of GnuPG users,
1254 connected to each other by chains of trust expressed through signatures.
</p>
1256 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
1258 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1259 <div id=
"step-5a" class=
"step">
1260 <div class=
"sidebar">
1263 src=
"/static/img/en/screenshots/step5a-key-properties.png"
1264 alt=
"Section 5: trusting a key" /></p>
1266 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
1269 <h3><em>Step
5.a
</em> Sign a key
</h3>
1271 <p>In your email program's menu, go to OpenPGP Key Manager and select
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa">Key properties
</text> by right clicking on Edward's key.
</p>
1273 <p>Under
"Your Acceptance," you can select
<text style=
"color:#2f5faa">Yes, I've verified in person this key has the correct fingerprint
"</text></p>
1275 <p class="notes
">You've just effectively said "I trust that Edward's public
1276 key actually belongs to Edward.
" This doesn't mean much because Edward isn't
1277 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>
1279 <!--<div id="pgp-pathfinder
">
1281 <form enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded
" action="/mk_path.cgi
"
1284 <p><strong>From:</strong><input type="text
" value="xD41A008
"
1287 <p><strong>To:</strong><input type="text
" value="50BD01x4
" name="TO
"></p>
1289 <p class="buttons
"><input type="submit
" value="trust paths
" name="PATHS
"><input
1290 type="reset
" value="reset
" name=".reset
"></p>
1294 </div>End #pgp-pathfinder -->
1295 </div><!-- End .main -->
1296 </div><!-- End #step-5a .step -->
1298 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1299 <div id="step-identify_keys
" class="step
">
1302 <h3>Identifying keys: Fingerprints and IDs</h3>
1304 <p>People's public keys are usually identified by their key fingerprint,
1305 which is a string of digits like F357AA1A5B1FA42CFD9FE52A9FF2194CC09A61E8
1306 (for Edward's key). You can see the fingerprint for your public key, and
1307 other public keys saved on your computer, by going to OpenPGP Key
1308 Management in your email program's menu, then right clicking on the key
1309 and choosing Key Properties. It's good practice to share your fingerprint
1310 wherever you share your email address, so that people can double-check that
1311 they have the correct public key when they download yours from a keyserver.</p>
1313 <p class="notes
">You may also see public keys referred to by a shorter
1314 keyID. This keyID is visible directly from the Key Management
1315 window. These eight character keyIDs were previously used for
1316 identification, which used to be safe, but is no longer reliable. You
1317 need to check the full fingerprint as part of verifying you have the
1318 correct key for the person you are trying to contact. Spoofing, in
1319 which someone intentionally generates a key with a fingerprint whose
1320 final eight characters are the same as another, is unfortunately
1323 </div><!-- End .main -->
1324 </div><!-- End #step-identify_keys .step-->
1326 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1327 <div id="check-ids-before-signing
" class="step
">
1330 <h3><em>Important:</em> What to consider when signing keys</h3>
1332 <p>Before signing a person's key, you need to be confident that it actually
1333 belongs to them, and that they are who they say they are. Ideally, this
1334 confidence comes from having interactions and conversations with them over
1335 time, and witnessing interactions between them and others. Whenever signing
1336 a key, ask to see the full public key fingerprint, and not just the shorter
1337 keyID. If you feel it's important to sign the key of someone you've just
1338 met, also ask them to show you their government identification, and make
1339 sure the name on the ID matches the name on the public key.</p>
1341 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1342 <div class="troubleshooting
">
1347 <dt>Master the Web of Trust</dt>
1348 <dd>Unfortunately, trust does not spread between users the way <a
1349 href="https://fennetic.net/irc/finney.org/~hal/web_of_trust.html
">many people
1350 think</a>. One of the best ways to strengthen the GnuPG community is to deeply <a
1351 href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x334.html
">understand</a> the Web of
1352 Trust and to carefully sign as many people's keys as circumstances permit.</dd>
1355 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
1356 </div><!-- End .main -->
1357 </div><!-- End #check-ids-before-signing .step-->
1358 </div></section><!-- End #section5 -->
1360 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 6: Use it well ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1361 <section id="section6
" class="row
"><div>
1363 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1364 <div class="section-intro
">
1366 <h2><em>#6</em> Use it well</h2>
1368 <p>Everyone uses GnuPG a little differently, but it's important to follow
1369 some basic practices to keep your email secure. Not following them, you
1370 risk the privacy of the people you communicate with, as well as your own,
1371 and damage the Web of Trust.</p>
1373 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
1375 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1376 <div id="step-
6a
" class="step
">
1377 <div class="sidebar
">
1380 src="/static/img/en/screenshots/section5-
01-use-it-well.png
"
1381 alt="Section
6: Use it Well (
1)
" /></p>
1383 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
1386 <h3>When should I encrypt? When should I sign?</h3>
1388 <p>The more you can encrypt your messages, the better. If you only encrypt
1389 emails occasionally, each encrypted message could raise a red flag for
1390 surveillance systems. If all or most of your email is encrypted, people
1391 doing surveillance won't know where to start. That's not to say that only
1392 encrypting some of your email isn't helpful -- it's a great start and it
1393 makes bulk surveillance more difficult.</p>
1395 <p>Unless you don't want to reveal your own identity (which requires other
1396 protective measures), there's no reason not to sign every message, whether or
1397 not you are encrypting. In addition to allowing those with GnuPG to verify
1398 that the message came from you, signing is a non-intrusive way to remind
1399 everyone that you use GnuPG and show support for secure communication. If you
1400 often send signed messages to people that aren't familiar with GnuPG, it's
1401 nice to also include a link to this guide in your standard email signature
1402 (the text kind, not the cryptographic kind).</p>
1404 </div><!-- End .main -->
1405 </div><!-- End #step-6a .step -->
1407 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1408 <div id="step-
6b
" class="step
">
1409 <div class="sidebar
">
1412 src="/static/img/en/screenshots/section5-
02-use-it-well.png
"
1413 alt="Section
6: Use it Well (
2)
" /></p>
1415 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
1418 <h3>Be wary of invalid keys</h3>
1420 <p>GnuPG makes email safer, but it's still important to watch out for invalid
1421 keys, which might have fallen into the wrong hands. Email encrypted with
1422 invalid keys might be readable by surveillance programs.</p>
1424 <p>In your email program, go back to the first encrypted email that Edward
1425 sent you. Because Edward encrypted it with your public key, it will have a
1426 green checkmark a at the top "OpenPGP
" button.</p>
1428 <p><b>When using GnuPG, make a habit of glancing at that button. The program
1429 will warn you there if you get an email signed with a key that can't
1432 </div><!-- End .main -->
1433 </div><!-- End #step-6b .step -->
1435 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1436 <div id="step-
6c
" class="step
">
1439 <h3>Copy your revocation certificate to somewhere safe</h3>
1441 <p>Remember when you created your keys and saved the revocation certificate
1442 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>
1444 <p>If your private key ever gets lost or stolen, you'll need this certificate
1445 file to let people know that you are no longer using that keypair.</p>
1447 </div><!-- End .main -->
1448 </div><!-- End #step-6c .step -->
1450 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1451 <div id="step-lost_key
" class="step
">
1454 <h3><em>Important:</em> act swiftly if someone gets your private key</h3>
1456 <p>If you lose your private key or someone else gets ahold
1457 of it (say, by stealing or cracking your computer), it's
1458 important to revoke it immediately before someone else uses
1459 it to read your encrypted email or forge your signature. This
1460 guide doesn't cover how to revoke a key, but you can follow these <a
1461 href="https://www.hackdiary.com/
2004/
01/
18/revoking-a-gpg-key/
">instructions</a>.
1462 After you're done revoking, make a new key and send an email to everyone
1463 with whom you usually use your key to make sure they know, including a copy
1464 of your new key.</p>
1466 </div><!-- End .main -->
1467 </div><!-- End #step-lost_key .step-->
1469 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~
1470 <div id="webmail-and-GnuPG
" class="step
">
1473 <h3>Webmail and GnuPG</h3>
1475 <p>When you use a web browser to access your email, you're using webmail,
1476 an email program stored on a distant website. Unlike webmail, your desktop
1477 email program runs on your own computer. Although webmail can't decrypt
1478 encrypted email, it will still display it in its encrypted form. If you
1479 primarily use webmail, you'll know to open your email client when you receive
1480 a scrambled email.</p>
1482 </div><!-- End .main -->
1483 </div><!-- End #webmail-and-GnuPG .step-->
1485 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~
1486 <div id="step-
6d
" class="step
">
1489 <h3>Make your public key part of your online identity</h3>
1491 <p> First add your public key fingerprint to your email signature, then
1492 compose an email to at least five of your friends, telling them you just
1493 set up GnuPG and mentioning your public key fingerprint. Link to this guide
1494 and ask them to join you. Don't forget that there's also an awesome <a
1495 href="infographic.html
">infographic to share.</a></p>
1497 <p class="notes
">Start writing your public key fingerprint anywhere someone
1498 would see your email address: your social media profiles, blog, Website,
1499 or business card. (At the Free Software Foundation, we put ours on our
1500 <a href="https://fsf.org/about/staff
">staff page</a>.) We need to get our
1501 culture to the point that we feel like something is missing when we see an
1502 email address without a public key fingerprint.</p>
1504 </div>--><!-- End .main
1505 </div> End #step-6d .step-->
1506 </div></section><!-- End #section6 -->
1508 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 7: Next steps ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1509 <section class="row
" id="section6
">
1510 <div id="step-click_here
" class="step
">
1513 <h2><a href="next_steps.html
">Great job! Check out the next steps.</a></h2>
1515 </div><!-- End .main -->
1516 </div><!-- End #step-click_here .step-->
1517 </section><!-- End #section7 -->
1519 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ FAQ ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1520 <!-- When un-commenting this section go to main.css and search
1521 for /* Guide Sections Background */ then add #faq to the desired color
1522 <section class="row
" id="faq
"><div>
1523 <div class="sidebar
">
1531 <dt>My key expired</dt>
1532 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1534 <dt>Who can read encrypted messages? Who can read signed ones?</dt>
1535 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1537 <dt>My email program is opening at times I don't want it to open/is now my
1538 default program and I don't want it to be.</dt>
1539 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1544 </section> --><!-- End #faq -->
1546 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Footer ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1547 <footer class="row
" id="footer
"><div>
1548 <div id="copyright
">
1550 <h4><a href="https://u.fsf.org/ys
"><img
1551 alt="Free Software Foundation
"
1552 src="/static/img/fsf-logo.png
" /></a></h4>
1554 <p>Copyright © 2014-2021 <a
1555 href="https://u.fsf.org/ys
">Free Software Foundation</a>, Inc. <a
1556 href="https://my.fsf.org/donate/privacypolicy.html
">Privacy Policy</a>. Please
1557 support our work by <a href="https://u.fsf.org/yr
">joining us as an associate
1560 <p>The images on this page are under a <a
1561 href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
4.0/
">Creative Commons
1562 Attribution 4.0 license (or later version)</a>, and the rest of it is under
1563 a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/
4.0">Creative Commons
1564 Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license (or later version)</a>. Download the <a
1565 href="https://agpl.fsf.org/emailselfdefense.fsf.org/edward/CURRENT/edward.tar.gz
">
1566 source code of Edward reply bot</a> by Andrew Engelbrecht
1567 <andrew@engelbrecht.io> and Josh Drake <zamnedix@gnu.org>,
1568 available under the GNU Affero General Public License. <a
1569 href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#OtherLicenses
">Why these
1572 <p>Fonts used in the guide & infographic: <a
1573 href="https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Dosis
">Dosis</a> by Pablo
1574 Impallari, <a href="https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Signika
">Signika</a>
1575 by Anna Giedryś, <a
1576 href="https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Archivo+Narrow
">Archivo
1577 Narrow</a> by Omnibus-Type, <a
1578 href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Graphics_Howto#Pitfalls
">PXL-2000</a>
1579 by Florian Cramer.</p>
1581 <p>Download the <a href="emailselfdefense_source.zip
">source package</a>
1582 for this guide, including fonts, image source files and the text of Edward's
1585 <p>This site uses the Weblabels standard for labeling <a
1586 href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/freejs
">free JavaScript</a>. View
1587 the JavaScript <a href="https://weblabels.fsf.org/emailselfdefense.fsf.org/
"
1588 rel="jslicense
">source code and license information</a>.</p>
1590 </div><!-- /#copyright -->
1592 <p class="credits
">Infographic and guide design by <a rel="external
"
1593 href="https://jplusplus.org
"><strong>Journalism++</strong><img
1594 src="static/img/jplusplus.png
"
1595 alt="Journalism++
" /></a></p><!-- /.credits -->
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