#1 Get the pieces
This guide relies on software which is freely licensed; it's completely transparent and anyone can copy it or make their own version. This makes it safer from surveillance than proprietary software (like Windows). To defend your freedom as well as protect yourself from surveillance, we recommend you switch to a free software operating system like GNU/Linux. Learn more about free software at fsf.org.
-
To get started, you'll need a desktop email program installed on your computer. This guide works with free software versions of the Thunderbird email program, and with Thunderbird itself. Email programs are another way to access the same email accounts you can access in a browser (like Gmail), but provide extra features.
+
To get started, you'll need the IceDove desktop email program installed on your computer. For your system, IceDove may be known by the alternate name "Thunderbird." Email programs are another way to access the same email accounts you can access in a browser (like Gmail), but provide extra features.
If you already have an email program, you can skip to Step 1.b.
@@ -258,6 +258,8 @@
#3 Try it out!
Now you'll try a test correspondence with a computer program named Edward, which knows how to use encryption. Except where noted, these are the same steps you'd follow when corresponding with a real, live person.
+
+
NOTE: Edward is currently having some technical difficulties, so he may take a long time to respond, or not respond at all. We're sorry about this and we're working hard to fix it. Your key will still work even without testing with Edward.
@@ -284,7 +286,7 @@
Step 3.b Send a test encrypted email
Write a new email in your email program, addressed to edward-en@fsf.org. Make the subject "Encryption test" or something similar and write something in the body.
-
They key in the bottom right of the window should be yellow, meaning encryption is on. This will be your default from now on.
+
The key in the bottom right of the window should be yellow, meaning encryption is on. This will be your default from now on.
Next to the key, you'll notice an icon of a pencil. Clicking this tells Enigmail to add a special, unique signature to your message, generated using your private key. This is a separate feature from encryption, and you don't have to use it for this guide.
Click Send. Enigmail will pop up a window that says "Recipients not valid, not trusted or not found."
@@ -321,7 +323,7 @@
Step 3.c Receive a response
When Edward receives your email, he will use his private key to decrypt it, then use your public key (which you sent him in Step 3.A) to encrypt his reply to you.
-
+
It may take two or three minutes for Edward to respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the Use it Well section of this guide.
When you receive Edward's email and open it, Enigmail will automatically detect that it is encrypted with your public key, and then it will use your private key to decrypt it.
Notice the bar that Enigmail shows you above the message, with information about the status of Edward's key.