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18 <title
>Email Self-Defense - a guide to fighting surveillance with GnuPG encryption
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22 free speech risky. This guide will teach you email self-defense in 30 minutes with GnuPG." /
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31 <header
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33 <h1
>Email Self-Defense
</h1
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54 <li
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57 <li
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href=
"https://fsf.org/share?u=https://u.fsf.org/zb&t=Email
58 encryption for everyone via %40fsf"> Share
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77 <div
class=
"fsf-emphasis">
79 <p
> We fight for computer users' rights, and promote the development of free (as in freedom)
80 software. Resisting bulk surveillance is very important to us.
</p
>
82 <p
> <strong
> We want to translate this guide into more languages, and make a version for
83 encryption on mobile devices. Please donate, and help people around the world take the
84 first step towards protecting their privacy with free software.
</strong
> </p
>
89 href=
"https://crm.fsf.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=14&pk_campaign=email_self_defense&pk_kwd=guide_donate"><img
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94 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Guide Introduction ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
95 <div
class=
"intro">
97 <p
> <a
id=
"infographic" href=
"infographic.html"><img
98 src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/infographic-button.png"
99 alt=
"View & share our infographic →" /
></a
> Bulk surveillance violates
100 our fundamental rights and makes free speech risky. This guide will teach you a basic
101 surveillance self-defense skill: email encryption. Once you've finished, you'll be able to
102 send and receive emails that are coded to make sure a surveillance agent or thief intercepting
103 your email can't read it. All you need is a computer with an Internet connection, an email
104 account, and about half an hour.
</p
>
106 <p
>Even if you have nothing to hide, using encryption helps protect the privacy of people
107 you communicate with, and makes life difficult for bulk surveillance systems. If you do
108 have something important to hide, you're in good company; these are the same tools that
109 Edward Snowden used to share his famous secrets about the NSA.
</p
>
111 <p
>In addition to using encryption, standing up to surveillance requires fighting politically
112 for a
<a
href=
"http://gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html">reduction in the
113 amount of data collected on us
</a
>, but the essential first step is to protect yourself
114 and make surveillance of your communication as difficult as possible. Let's get started!
</p
>
116 </div
><!-- End .intro --
>
117 </div
></header
><!-- End #header --
>
119 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section
1: Get the pieces ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
120 <section
class=
"row" id=
"section1"><div
>
122 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
123 <div
class=
"section-intro">
125 <h2
><em
>#
1</em
> Get the pieces
</h2
>
127 <p
class=
"notes">This guide relies on software which is freely licensed; it's completely
128 transparent and anyone can copy it or make their own version. This makes it safer from
129 surveillance than proprietary software (like Windows). Learn more about free software at
130 <a
href=
"https://u.fsf.org/ys">fsf.org
</a
>.
</p
>
132 <p
>Most GNU/Linux operating systems come with GnuPG installed on them, so you don't have
133 to download it. Before configuring GnuPG though, you'll need a desktop email program
134 installed on your computer. Most GNU/Linux distributions have a free software version of
135 the Thunderbird email program available to install. This guide will work with them, in
136 addition to Thunderbird itself. Email programs are another way to access the same email
137 accounts you can access in a browser (like Gmail), but provide extra features.
</p
>
139 <p
>If you already have
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>one of these,
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>an email program,
</em></ins></span> you can skip to
<a
href=
"#step-1b">Step
1.b
</a
>.
</p
>
141 </div
><!-- End .section-intro --
>
143 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
144 <div
id=
"step-1a" class=
"step">
145 <div
class=
"sidebar">
147 <p
><img
src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/step1a-install-wizard.png"
148 alt=
"Step 1.A: Install Wizard" /
></p
>
150 </div
><!-- /.sidebar --
>
151 <div
class=
"main">
153 <h3
><em
>Step
1.a
</em
> Setup your email program with your email
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>account (if it isn't
154 already)
</h3
></strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>account
</h3
></em></ins></span>
156 <p
>Open your email program and follow the wizard
<span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>(step-by-step walkthrough)
</em></ins></span> that sets it
157 up with your email account.
</p
>
159 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
160 <div
class=
"troubleshooting">
162 <h4
>Troubleshooting
</h4
>
165 <span class=
"removed"><del><strong><dt
>What's a wizard?
</dt
>
167 <dd
>A
</strong></del></span>
168 <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em><dt
>The
</em></ins></span> wizard
<span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>doesn't launch
</dt
>
170 <dd
>You can launch the wizard yourself, but the menu option for doing so
</em></ins></span> is
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>a series of windows that pop up
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>named differently
171 in each email programs. The button
</em></ins></span> to
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>make
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>launch
</em></ins></span> it
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>easy to get
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>will be in the program's main menu, under
172 "New" or something similar, titled
</em></ins></span> something
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>done on
173 a computer,
</strong></del></span> like
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>installing a program. You click through it, selecting options as you go.
</dd
>
175 <dt
>My
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>"Add account" or
"New/Existing</em></ins></span> email <span class="removed
"><del><strong>program</strong></del></span>
176 <span class="inserted
"><ins><em>account."</dd
>
178 <dt
>The wizard
</em></ins></span> can't find my account or isn't downloading my mail
</dt
>
180 <dd
>Before searching the Web, we recommend you start by asking other people who use your
181 email system, to figure out the correct settings.
</dd
>
183 <dt
class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt
>
185 <dd
class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
186 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback page
</a
>.
</dd
>
189 </div
><!-- /.troubleshooting --
>
190 </div
><!-- End .main --
>
191 </div
><!-- End #step1-a .step --
>
193 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
194 <div
id=
"step-1b" class=
"step">
195 <div
class=
"sidebar">
196 <ul
class=
"images">
197 <li
><img
src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/step1b-01-tools-addons.png"
198 alt=
"Step 1.B: Tools -> Add-ons" /
></li
>
199 <li
><img
src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/step1b-02-search.png"
200 alt=
"Step 1.B: Search Add-ons" /
></li
>
201 <li
><img
src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/step1b-03-install.png"
202 alt=
"Step 1.B: Install Add-ons" /
></li
>
205 </div
><!-- /.sidebar --
>
206 <div
class=
"main">
208 <h3
><em
>Step
1.b
</em
> Install the Enigmail plugin for your email program
</h3
>
210 <p
>In your email program's menu, select Add-ons (it may be in the Tools section). Make
211 sure Extensions is selected on the left. Do you see Enigmail?
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>if
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>If
</em></ins></span> so, skip this step.
</p
>
213 <p
>If not, search
"Enigmail" with the search bar in the upper right. You can take it from
214 here. Restart your email program when you're done.
</p
>
216 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
217 <div
class=
"troubleshooting">
219 <h4
>Troubleshooting
</h4
>
222 <dt
>I can't find the menu.
</dt
>
224 <dd
>In many new email programs, the main menu is represented by an image of three stacked
225 horizontal bars.
</dd
>
227 <dt
class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt
>
229 <dd
class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
230 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback page
</a
>.
</dd
>
233 </div
><!-- /.troubleshooting --
>
234 </div
><!-- End .main --
>
235 </div
><!-- End #step-
1b .step --
>
236 </div
></section
><!-- End #section1 --
>
238 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section
2: Make your keys ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
239 <section
class=
"row" id=
"section2"><div
>
241 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
242 <div
class=
"section-intro">
244 <h2
><em
>#
2</em
> Make your keys
</h2
>
246 <p
>To use the GnuPG system, you'll need a public key and a private key (known together as a
247 keypair). Each is a long string of randomly generated numbers and letters that are unique to
248 you. Your public and private keys are linked together by a special mathematical function.
</p
>
250 <p
>Your public key isn't like a physical key, because it's stored in the open in an online
251 directory called a keyserver. People download it and use it, along with GnuPG, to encrypt
252 emails they send to you. You can think of the keyserver as phonebook, where people who
253 want to send you an encrypted email look up your public key.
</p
>
255 <p
>Your private key is more like a physical key, because you keep it to yourself (on your
256 computer). You use GnuPG and your private key to decode encrypted emails other people send
259 </div
><!-- End .section-intro --
>
261 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
262 <div
id=
"step-2a" class=
"step">
263 <div
class=
"sidebar">
265 <p
><img
src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/step2a-01-make-keypair.png"
266 alt=
"Step 2.A: Make a Keypair" /
></p
>
268 </div
><!-- /.sidebar --
>
269 <div
class=
"main">
271 <h3
><em
>Step
2.a
</em
> Make a keypair
</h3
>
273 <span class=
"removed"><del><strong><p
>In your email program's menu,
</strong></del></span>
275 <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em><p
>The Enigmail Setup wizard may start automatically. If it doesn't,
</em></ins></span> select
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>OpenPGP
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>Enigmail
</em></ins></span> →
276 Setup
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>Wizard.
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>Wizard from your email program's menu.
</em></ins></span> You don't need to read the text in the window
277 that pops up unless you'd like to, but it's good to read the text on the later screens of
278 the
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>wizard.
</p
>
280 <p
>On
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>wizard. Click Next with the default options selected, except in these instances:
</p
>
283 <li
>On
</em></ins></span> the second screen, titled
<span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>"Encryption," select
"Encrypt all of my messages by default,
284 because privacy is critical to me."</li
>
285 <li
>On the third screen, titled
</em></ins></span> "Signing," select
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>"No, I</strong></del></span> <span class="inserted
"><ins><em>"Don't sign my messages by default.
"</li>
286 <li>On the fourth screen, titled "Key Selection,
" select "I
</em></ins></span> want to create
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>per-recipient
287 rules
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>a new key pair
</em></ins></span>
288 for
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>emails that need to be signed.
"</p>
290 <p>Use the default options until you reach the screen titled "Create Key
".</p>
292 <p>On</strong></del></span> <span class="inserted
"><ins><em>signing and encryption my email."</li
>
293 <li
>On
</em></ins></span> the screen titled
"Create Key," pick a strong password! Your password should be at
294 least
12 characters and include at least one lower case and upper case letter and at least one
295 number or punctuation symbol. Don't forget the password, or all this work will be
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>wasted!
</p
></strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>wasted!
</li
>
296 </ul
></em></ins></span>
298 <p
class=
"notes">The program will take a little while to finish the next step, the
"Key
299 Creation" screen. While you wait, do something else with your computer, like watching a
300 movie or browsing the Web. The more you use the computer at this point, the faster the
301 key creation will go.
</p
>
303 <p
>When the
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>OpenPGP Confirm
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>"Key Generation Completed"</em></ins></span> screen pops up, select Generate Certificate and
304 choose to save it in a safe place on your computer (we recommend making a folder called
305 "Revocation Certificate" in your home folder and keeping it there). You'll learn more
306 about the revocation certificate in
<a
href=
"#section5">Section
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>5</a
>. The setup wizard will ask
307 you to move it onto an external device, but that isn't necessary at this moment.
</p
></strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>5</a
>.
</p
></em></ins></span>
309 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
310 <div
class=
"troubleshooting">
312 <h4
>Troubleshooting
</h4
>
315 <dt
>I can't find the
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>OpenPGP
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>Enigmail
</em></ins></span> menu.
</dt
>
317 <dd
>In many new email programs, the main menu is represented by an image of three stacked
318 horizontal bars.
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>OpenPGP
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>Enigmail
</em></ins></span> may be inside a section called Tools.
</dd
>
320 <dt
>The wizard says that it cannot find GnuPG.
</dt
>
322 <dd
>Open whatever program you usually use for installing software, and search for GnuPG,
323 then install it. Then restart the Enigmail setup wizard by going to
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>OpenPGP
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>Enigmail
</em></ins></span> →
324 Setup Wizard.
</dd
>
326 <dt
class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt
>
328 <dd
class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
329 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback page
</a
>.
</dd
>
332 </div
><!-- /.troubleshooting --
>
333 </div
><!-- End .main --
>
334 </div
><!-- End #step-
2a .step --
>
336 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
337 <div
id=
"step-2b" class=
"step">
338 <div
class=
"main">
340 <h3
><em
>Step
2.b
</em
> Upload your public key to a keyserver
</h3
>
342 <p
>In your email program's menu, select
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>OpenPGP
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>Enigmail
</em></ins></span> → Key Management.
</p
>
344 <p
>Right click on your key and select Upload Public Keys to Keyserver. Use the default
345 keyserver in the popup.
</p
>
347 <p
class=
"notes">Now someone who wants to send you an encrypted message can download your
348 public key from the Internet. There are multiple keyservers that you can select from the
349 menu when you upload, but they are all copies of each other, so it doesn't matter which
350 one you use. However, it sometimes takes a few hours for them to match each other when a
351 new key is uploaded.
</p
>
353 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
354 <div
class=
"troubleshooting">
356 <h4
>Troubleshooting
</h4
>
359 <dt
>The progress bar never finishes.
</dt
>
361 <dd
>Close the upload popup, make sure you are connected to the Internet, and try again. If
362 that doesn't work, try again, selecting a different keyserver.
</dd
>
364 <dt
>My key doesnt appear in the list
</dt
>
366 <dd
>Try checking
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>Show Default Keys.
</dd
></strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>"Display All Keys by Default."</dd
></em></ins></span>
368 <dt
class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt
>
370 <dd
class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
371 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback page
</a
>.
</dd
>
374 </div
><!-- /.troubleshooting --
>
375 </div
><!-- End .main --
>
376 </div
><!-- End #step-
2b .step --
>
378 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
379 <div
id=
"terminology" class=
"step">
380 <div
class=
"main">
382 <h3
>GnuPG, OpenPGP, what?
</h3
>
384 <span class=
"removed"><del><strong><p
>You're using a program called GnuPG, but the menu in your email program is called
385 OpenPGP. Confusing, right? In
</strong></del></span>
387 <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em><p
>In
</em></ins></span> general, the terms GnuPG, GPG, GNU Privacy Guard, OpenPGP and PGP are used
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>interchangeably, though they all have slightly different meanings.
</p
></strong></del></span>
388 <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>interchangeably. Technically, OpenPGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is the encryption standard,
389 and GNU Privacy Guard (often shortened to GPG or GnuPG) is the program that implements the
390 standard. Enigmail is a plug-in program for your email program that provides an interface
391 for GnuPG.
</p
></em></ins></span>
393 </div
><!-- End .main --
>
394 </div
><!-- End #terminology.step--
>
395 </div
></section
><!-- End #section2 --
>
397 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section
3: Try it out ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
398 <section
class=
"row" id=
"section3"><div
>
400 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
401 <div
class=
"section-intro">
403 <h2
><em
>#
3</em
> Try it out!
</h2
>
405 <p
>Now you'll try a test correspondence with a computer program named Edward, which knows
406 how to use encryption. Except where noted, these are the same steps you'd follow when
407 corresponding with a real, live person.
</p
>
409 </div
><!-- End .section-intro --
>
411 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
412 <div
id=
"step-3a" class=
"step">
413 <div
class=
"sidebar">
415 <p
><img
src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/section3-try-it-out.png"
416 alt=
"Try it out." /
></p
>
418 </div
><!-- /.sidebar --
>
419 <div
class=
"main">
421 <h3
><em
>Step
3.a
</em
> Send Edward your public key
</h3
>
423 <p
>This is a special step that you won't have to do when corresponding with real people. In
424 your email program's menu, go to
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>OpenPGP
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>Enigmail
</em></ins></span> → Key Management. You should see your key in
425 the list that pops up. Right click on your key and select Send Public Keys by Email. This
426 will create a new draft message, as if you had just hit the Write button.
</p
>
428 <p
>Address the message to edward-en@fsf.org. Put at least one word (whatever you want)
429 in the subject and body of the
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>email, then
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>email. Then
</em></ins></span> hit send.
</p
>
431 <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em><p
>There should be an icon of a yellow key in the bottom right of the composition
432 window. This means that encryption is on, however, we want this first special message to
433 Edward to be unencrypted. Click the key icon once to turn encryption off. The key should
434 become grey, with a blue dot on it (to alert you that the setting has been changed from
435 the default). Once encryption is off, hit Send.
</p
></em></ins></span>
437 <p
class=
"notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to respond. In the meantime,
438 you might want to skip ahead and check out the
<a
href=
"#section5">Use it Well
</a
> section
439 of this guide. Once he's responded, head to the next step. From here on, you'll be doing
440 just the same thing as when corresponding with a real person.
</p
>
442 <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em><p
>When you open Edward's reply, Enigmail may prompt you for your password before using
443 your private key to decrypt it.
</p
></em></ins></span>
445 </div
><!-- End .main --
>
446 </div
><!-- End #step-
3a .step --
>
448 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
449 <div
id=
"step-3b" class=
"step">
450 <div
class=
"main">
452 <h3
><em
>Step
3.b
</em
> Send a test encrypted email
</h3
>
454 <p
>Write a new email in your email program, addressed to edward-en@fsf.org. Make the subject
455 "Encryption test" or something similar and write something in the
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>body. Don't send it yet.
</p
>
457 <p
>Click the icon of the
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>body.
</p
>
459 <p
>They
</em></ins></span> key in the bottom right of the
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>composition
</strong></del></span> window
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>(it
</strong></del></span> should
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>turn
460 yellow).
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>be yellow, meaning encryption is
461 on.
</em></ins></span> This
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>tells Enigmail to encrypt the email.
</p
></strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>will be your default from now on.
</p
></em></ins></span>
463 <p
class=
"notes">Next to the key, you'll notice an icon of a pencil. Clicking this tells
464 Enigmail to add a special, unique signature to your message, generated using your private
465 key. This is a separate feature from encryption, and you don't have to use it for this
468 <p
>Click Send. Enigmail will pop up a window that says
"Recipients not valid, not trusted
469 or not found."</p
>
471 <p
>To encrypt an email to Edward, you need his public key, so now you'll have Enigmail
472 download it from a keyserver. Click Download Missing Keys and use the default in the
473 pop-up that asks you to choose a keyserver. Once it finds keys, check the first one (Key
474 ID starting with C), then select ok. Select ok in the next pop-up.
</p
>
476 <p
>Now you are back at the
"Recipients not valid, not trusted or not found" screen.
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>Select
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>Check
477 the box in front of
</em></ins></span> Edward's key
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>from the list
</strong></del></span> and click
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>Ok. If
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>Send.
</p
>
479 <p
class=
"notes">Since you encrypted this email with Edward's public key, Edward's private
480 key is required to decrypt it. Edward is
</em></ins></span> the
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>message doesn't send automatically,
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>only one with his private key, so no one
481 except him
— not even
</em></ins></span> you
<span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>—</em></ins></span> can
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>hit send now.
</p
></strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>decrypt it.
</p
></em></ins></span>
483 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
484 <div
class=
"troubleshooting">
486 <h4
>Troubleshooting
</h4
>
489 <dt
>Enigmail can't find Edward's key
</dt
>
491 <dd
>Close the pop-ups that have appeared since you
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>clicked.
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>clicked Send.
</em></ins></span> Make sure you are connected
492 to the Internet and try again. If that doesn't work, repeat the process, choosing a
493 different keyserver when it asks you to pick one.
</dd
>
495 <dt
class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt
>
497 <dd
class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
498 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback page
</a
>.
</dd
>
501 </div
><!-- /.troubleshooting --
>
502 </div
><!-- End .main --
>
503 </div
><!-- End #step-
3b .step --
>
505 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
506 <div
id=
"step-headers_unencrypted" class=
"step">
507 <div
class=
"main">
509 <h3
><em
>Important:
</em
> Security tips
</h3
>
511 <p
>Even if you encrypted your email, the subject line is not encrypted, so don't put
512 private information there. The sending and receiving addresses aren't encrypted either,
513 so they could be read by a surveillance system. When you send attachments, Enigmail will
514 give you an option of whether you want to encrypt them.
</p
>
516 <span class=
"removed"><del><strong><p
>It's also good practice to click the key icon in your email composition window
517 <strong
>before
</strong
> you start to write. Otherwise, your email client could save an
518 unencrypted draft on the mail server, potentially exposing it to snooping.
</p
></strong></del></span>
520 </div
><!-- End .main --
>
521 </div
><!-- End #step-headers_unencrypted .step--
>
523 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
524 <div
id=
"step-3c" class=
"step">
525 <div
class=
"main">
527 <h3
><em
>Step
3.c
</em
> Receive a response
</h3
>
529 <p
>When Edward receives your email, he will use his private key to decrypt it, then
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>fetch
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>use
</em></ins></span>
530 your public key
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>from a keyserver and use it
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>(which you sent him in
<a
href=
"#step-3a">Step
3.A
</a
>)
</em></ins></span> to encrypt
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>a response
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>his
531 reply
</em></ins></span> to you.
</p
>
533 <p
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>class=
"notes">Since you encrypted this email with Edward's public key, Edward's private
534 key is required to decrypt it. Edward is the only one with his private key, so no one
535 except him
— not even you
— can decrypt it.
</p
>
537 <p
</strong></del></span> class=
"notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to respond. In the meantime,
538 you might want to skip ahead and check out the
<a
href=
"#section5">Use it Well
</a
> section
539 of this guide.
</p
>
541 <p
>When you receive Edward's email and open it, Enigmail will automatically detect that
542 it is encrypted with your public key, and then it will use your private key to decrypt it.
</p
>
544 <p
>Notice the bar that Enigmail shows you above the message, with information about the
545 status of Edward's key.
</p
>
547 </div
><!-- End .main --
>
548 </div
><!-- End #step-
3c .step --
>
550 <!-- STEP
3D IS COMMENTED OUT UNTIL WE FIND A WAY TO VALIDATE SIGNATURES
<div
id=
"step-3d"
552 <div
class=
"main">
554 <h3
><em
>Step
3.d
</em
> Send a test signed email to a friend
</h3
>
556 <p
>Write a new email in your email program, addressed to a friend. If you want, tell them
557 about this guide!
</p
>
559 <p
>Before sending the email, click the icon of the pencil in the bottom right of the
560 composition window (it should turn yellow). This tells Enigmail to sign the email with
561 you private key.
</p
>
563 <p
>After you click send, Enigmail will ask you for your password. It will do this any time
564 it needs to use your public key.
</p
>
568 </div
></section
><!-- End #section3 --
>
570 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section
4: Learn the Web of Trust ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
571 <section
class=
"row" id=
"section4"><div
>
573 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
574 <div
class=
"section-intro">
576 <h2
><em
>#
4</em
> Learn the Web of Trust
</h2
>
578 <p
>Email encryption is a powerful technology, but it has a weakness; it requires a way to
579 verify that a person's public key is actually theirs. Otherwise, there would be no way to
580 stop an attacker from making an email address with your friend's name, creating keys to
581 go with it and impersonating your friend. That's why the free software programmers that
582 developed email encryption created keysigning and the Web of Trust.
</p
>
584 <p
>When you sign someone's key, you are publicly saying that you trust that it does belong
585 to them and not an impostor. People who use your public key can see the number of signatures
586 it has. Once you've used GnuPG for a long time, you may have hundreds of signatures. The
587 Web of Trust is the constellation of all GnuPG users, connected to each other by chains of
588 trust expressed through signatures, forming a giant network. The more signatures a key has,
589 and the more signatures its signers' keys have, the more trustworthy that key is.
</p
>
591 <p
>People's public keys are usually identified by their key fingerprint, which is a string
592 of digits like F357AA1A5B1FA42CFD9FE52A9FF2194CC09A61E8 (for Edward's key). You can see the
593 fingerprint for your public key, and other public keys saved on your computer, by going to
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>OpenPGP
</strong></del></span>
594 <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>Enigmail
</em></ins></span> → Key Management in your email program's menu, then right clicking on the
595 key and choosing Key Properties. It's good practice to share your fingerprint wherever
596 you share your email address, so that people can double-check that they have the correct
597 public key when they download yours from a keyserver.
</p
>
599 <p
class=
"notes">You may also see public keys referred to by their key ID, which is simply
600 the last
8 digits of the fingerprint, like C09A61E8 for Edward. The key ID is visible
601 directly from the Key Management
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>Window.
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>window.
</em></ins></span> This key ID is like a person's first name (it is
602 a useful shorthand but may not be unique to a given key), whereas the fingerprint actually
603 identifies the key uniquely without the possibility of confusion. If you only have the key
604 ID, you can still look up the key (as well as its fingerprint), like you did in Step
3,
605 but if multiple options appear, you'll need the fingerprint of the person to whom are
606 trying to communicate to verify which one to use.
</p
>
608 </div
><!-- End .section-intro --
>
610 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
611 <div
id=
"step-4a" class=
"step">
612 <div
class=
"sidebar">
614 <p
><img
src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/section4-web-of-trust.png"
615 alt=
"Section 4: Web of Trust" /
></p
>
617 </div
><!-- /.sidebar --
>
618 <div
class=
"main">
620 <h3
><em
>Step
4.a
</em
> Sign a key
</h3
>
622 <p
>In your email program's menu, go to
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>OpenPGP
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>Enigmail
</em></ins></span> → Key Management.
</p
>
624 <p
>Right click on Edward's public key and select Sign Key from the context menu.
</p
>
626 <p
>In the window that pops up, select
"I will not answer" and click ok.
</p
>
628 <span class=
"removed"><del><strong><p
>In your email program's menu, go to OpenPGP
→</strong></del></span>
630 <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em><p
>Now you should be back at the
</em></ins></span> Key Management
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>→</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>menu. Select
</em></ins></span> Keyserver
→ Upload Public
631 Keys and hit ok.
</p
>
633 <p
class=
"notes">You've just effectively said
"I trust that Edward's public key actually
634 belongs to Edward." This doesn't mean much because Edward isn't a real person, but it's
635 good practice.
</p
>
637 <!--
<div
id=
"pgp-pathfinder">
639 <form
enctype=
"application/x-www-form-urlencoded" action=
"/mk_path.cgi" method=
"get">
641 <p
><strong
>From:
</strong
>
642 <input
type=
"text" placeholder=
"xD41A008" name=
"FROM"></p
>
644 <p
><strong
>To:
</strong
>
645 <input
type=
"text" placeholder=
"50BD01x4" name=
"TO"></p
>
647 <p
class=
"buttons"><input
type=
"submit" value=
"trust paths" name=
"PATHS">
648 <input
type=
"reset" value=
"reset" name=
".reset"></p
>
652 </div
><!-- End #pgp-pathfinder --
>
653 </div
><!-- End .main --
>
654 </div
><!-- End #step-
4a .step --
>
656 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
657 <div
id=
"step-sign_real_keys" class=
"step">
658 <div
class=
"main">
660 <h3
><em
>Important:
</em
> check people's identification before signing their keys
</h3
>
662 <p
>Before signing a real person's key, always make sure it actually belongs to them, and
663 that they are who they say they are. Ask them to show you their ID (unless you trust them
664 very highly) and their public key fingerprint -- not just the shorter public key ID, which
665 could refer to another key as well. In Enigmail, answer honestly in the window that pops
666 up and asks
"How carefully have you verified that the key you are about to sign actually
667 belongs to the person(s) named above?".
</p
>
669 </div
><!-- End .main --
>
670 </div
><!-- End #step-sign_real_keys .step--
>
671 </div
></section
><!-- End #section4 --
>
673 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section
5: Use it well ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
674 <section
id=
"section5" class=
"row"><div
>
676 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
677 <div
class=
"section-intro">
679 <h2
><em
>#
5</em
> Use it well
</h2
>
681 <p
>Everyone uses GnuPG a little differently, but it's important to follow some basic
682 practices to keep your email secure. Not following them, you risk the privacy of the people
683 you communicate with, as well as your own, and damage the Web of Trust.
</p
>
685 </div
><!-- End .section-intro --
>
687 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
688 <div
id=
"step-5a" class=
"step">
689 <div
class=
"sidebar">
691 <p
><img
src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/section5-01-use-it-well.png"
692 alt=
"Section 5: Use it Well" /
></p
>
694 </div
><!-- /.sidebar --
>
695 <div
class=
"main">
697 <h3
>When should I encrypt?
</h3
>
699 <p
>The more you can encrypt your messages, the better. If you only encrypt emails
700 occasionally, each encrypted message could raise a red flag for surveillance systems. If all
701 or most of your email is encrypted, people doing surveillance won't know where to start.
</p
>
703 <p
>That's not to say that only encrypting some of your email isn't helpful -- it's a great
704 start and it makes bulk surveillance more difficult.
</p
>
706 </div
><!-- End .main --
>
707 </div
><!-- End #step-
5a .step --
>
709 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ --
>
710 <div
id=
"step-5b" class=
"step">
711 <div
class=
"sidebar">
713 <p
><img
src=
"//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/en/screenshots/section5-02-use-it-well.png"
714 alt=
"Section 5: Use it Well" /
></p
>
716 </div
><!-- /.sidebar --
>
717 <div
class=
"main">
719 <h3
><em
>Important:
</em
> Be wary of invalid keys
</h3
>
721 <p
>GnuPG makes email safer, but it's still important to watch out for invalid keys, which
722 might have fallen into the wrong hands. Email encrypted with invalid keys might be readable
723 by surveillance programs.
</p
>
725 <p
>In your email program, go back to the second email that Edward sent you. Because Edward
726 encrypted it with your public key, it will have a message from
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>OpenPGP
</strong></del></span> <span class=
"inserted"><ins><em>Enigmail
</em></ins></span> at the top, which
727 most likely says
<span class=
"removed"><del><strong>"OpenPGP:</strong></del></span> <span class="inserted
"><ins><em>"Enigmail:
</em></ins></span> Part of this message encrypted.
"</p>
729 <p><b>When using GnuPG, make a habit of glancing at that bar. The program will warn you
730 there if you get an email encrypted with a key that can't be trusted.</b></p>
732 </div><!-- End .main -->
733 </div><!-- End #step-5b .step -->
735 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
736 <div id="step-
5c
" class="step
">
737 <div class="main
">
739 <h3>Copy your revocation certificate to somewhere safe</h3>
741 <p>Remember when you created your keys and saved the revocation certificate that GnuPG
742 made? It's time to copy that certificate onto the safest digital storage that you have --
743 the ideal thing is a flash drive, disk, or hard drive stored in a safe place in your home.</p>
745 <p>If your private key ever gets lost or stolen, you'll need this certificate file to let
746 people know that you are no longer using that keypair.</p>
748 </div><!-- End .main -->
749 </div><!-- End #step-5c .step -->
751 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
752 <div id="step-lost_key
" class="step
">
753 <div class="main
">
755 <h3><em>Important:</em> act swiftly if someone gets your private key</h3>
757 <p>If you lose your private key or someone else gets ahold of it (say, by stealing or
758 cracking your computer), it's important to revoke it immediately before someone else uses
759 it to read your encrypted email. This guide doesn't cover how to revoke a key, but you
760 can follow the <a href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual.html#AEN305
">instructions on
761 the GnuPG site</a>. After you're done revoking, send an email to everyone with whom you
762 usually use your key to make sure they know.</p>
764 </div><!-- End .main -->
765 </div><!-- End #step-lost_key .step-->
767 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~
768 <div id="step-
5d
" class="step
">
769 <div class="main
">
771 <h3>Make your public key part of your online identity</h3>
773 <p> First add your public key fingerprint to your email signature, then compose an email
774 to at least five of your friends, telling them you just set up GnuPG and mentioning your
775 public key fingerprint. Link to this guide and ask them to join you. Don't forget that
776 there's also an awesome <a href="infographic.html
">infographic to share.</a></p>
778 <p class="notes
">Start writing your public key fingerprint anywhere someone would see
779 your email address: your social media profiles, blog, Website, or business card. (At the
780 Free Software Foundation, we put ours on our <a href="https://fsf.org/about/staff
">staff
781 page</a>.) We need to get our culture to the point that we feel like something is missing
782 when we see an email address without a public key fingerprint.</p>
784 </div><!-- End .main </div> End #step-5d .step-->
785 </div></section><!-- End #section5 -->
787 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 6: Next steps ~~~~~~~~~ -->
788 <section class="row
" id="section6
">
789 <div id="step-click_here
" class="step
">
790 <div class="main
">
792 <h2><a href="next_steps.html
">Great job! Check out the next steps.</a></h2>
794 </div><!-- End .main -->
795 </div><!-- End #step-click_here .step-->
796 </section><!-- End #section6 -->
798 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ FAQ ~~~~~~~~~ -->
799 <!-- When un-commenting this section go to main.css and search for /* Guide Sections
800 Background */ then add #faq to the desired color
801 <section class="row
" id="faq
"><div>
802 <div class="sidebar
">
804 <h2>FAQ</h2>
807 <div class="main
">
810 <dt>My key expired</dt>
812 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
814 <dt>Who can read encrypted messages? Who can read signed ones?</dt>
816 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
818 <dt>My email program is opening at times I don't want it to open/is now my default program
819 and I don't want it to be.</dt>
821 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
826 </section> --><!-- End #faq -->
828 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Footer ~~~~~~~~~ -->
829 <footer class="row
" id="footer
"><div>
830 <div id="copyright
">
832 <h4><a href="https://u.fsf.org/ys
"><img
833 alt="Free Software Foundation
" src="//static.fsf.org/nosvn/enc-dev0/img/fsf-logo.png
"
834 /></a></h4>
836 <p>Copyright © 2014 <a href="https://u.fsf.org/ys
">Free Software Foundation</a>,
837 Inc. <a href="https://my.fsf.org/donate/privacypolicy.html
">Privacy Policy</a>. <a
838 href="https://u.fsf.org/yr
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840 <p><em>Version <span class="removed
"><del><strong>2.1.</strong></del></span> <span class="inserted
"><ins><em>3.0.</em></ins></span> <a
841 href="http://agpl.fsf.org/emailselfdefense.fsf.org/edward/CURRENT/edward.tar.gz
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842 code of Edward reply bot by Josh Drake <zamnedix@gnu.org> available under the GNU
843 General Public License.</a></em></p>
845 <p>The images on this page are under a <a
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852 <p>Download the source package for <a href="emailselfdefense_source.zip
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853 guide</a>. Fonts used in the guide & infographic: <a
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857 <a href="http://www.thegopherarchive.com/gopher-files-hacks-pxl2000-
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858 by Florian Cramer.</p>
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