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5 <title>Email Self-Defense - a guide to fighting surveillance with GnuPG
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8 email, security, GnuPG2" />
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10 rights and makes free speech risky. This guide will teach you email
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to Enigmail's PGP functionality being migrated into Icedove and Thunderbird, steps 2 and 3 of the guide are currently out of date.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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271 Support us with a donation today, and help us maximize our summer fundraising goal by donating before July
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307 startTime = new Date('
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308 switchTextTime = new Date('
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310 endTime = new Date('
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326 <p>Without free software, we cannot and will not have a free society.
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395 fsfModalWindowElemDontShowForAWhile();
398 // Close popup if user clicks trasparent part
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435 <!-- End fsf-modal-window-elem campaign element -->
437 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ GnuPG Header and introduction text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
438 <header class=
"row" id=
"header"><div>
441 <h1>Email Self-Defense
</h1>
443 <!-- Language list for browsers that do not have JS enabled -->
444 <ul id=
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445 <!--<li><a class="current" href="/en">English - v4.0</a></li>
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457 <li><a href="/sq">Shqip - v4.0</a></li>
458 <li><a href="/sv">svenska - v4.0</a></li>
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461 <li><a href=
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462 <strong><span style=
"color: #2F5FAA;">Translate!
</span></strong></a></li>
465 <ul id=
"menu" class=
"os">
466 <li class=
"spacer"><a href=
"index.html" class=
"current">Set up guide
</a></li>
467 <!--<li><a href="mac.html">Mac OS</a></li>-->
468 <!--<li><a href="windows.html">Windows</a></li>-->
469 <li class=
"spacer"><a href=
"workshops.html">Teach your friends
</a></li>
470 <li class=
"spacer"><a
471 href=
"https://fsf.org/share?u=https://u.fsf.org/zb&t=Email%20encryption%20for%20everyone%20via%20%40fsf">
473 <img src=
"../static/img/gnu-social.png" class=
"share-logo"
474 alt=
"[GNU Social]" />
475 <img src=
"../static/img/mastodon.png" class=
"share-logo"
476 alt=
"[Mastodon]" />
477 <img src=
"../static/img/reddit-alien.png" class=
"share-logo"
478 alt=
"[Reddit]" />
479 <img src=
"../static/img/hacker-news.png" class=
"share-logo"
480 alt=
"[Hacker News]" /></a></li>
483 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ FSF Introduction ~~~~~~~~~ -->
486 <h3><a href=
"https://u.fsf.org/ys"><img
487 alt=
"Free Software Foundation"
488 src=
"../static/img/fsf-logo.png" />
491 <div class=
"fsf-emphasis">
493 <p>We fight for computer users' rights, and promote the development of free (as
494 in freedom) software. Resisting bulk surveillance is very important to us.
</p>
496 <p><strong>Please donate to support Email Self-Defense. We need to keep
497 improving it, and making more materials, for the benefit of people around
498 the world taking the first step towards protecting their privacy.
</strong></p>
503 href=
"https://crm.fsf.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=14&mtm_campaign=email_self_defense&mtm_kwd=guide_donate"><img
505 src=
"../static/img/en/donate.png" /></a></p>
507 </div><!-- End #fsf-intro -->
509 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Guide Introduction ~~~~~~~~~ -->
512 <p><a id=
"infographic" href=
"infographic.html"><img
513 src=
"../static/img/en/infographic-button.png"
514 alt=
"View & share our infographic →" /></a>
515 Bulk surveillance violates our fundamental rights and makes free speech
516 risky. This guide will teach you a basic surveillance self-defense skill: email
517 encryption. Once you've finished, you'll be able to send and receive emails
518 that are scrambled to make sure a surveillance agent or thief intercepting
519 your email can't read them. All you need is a computer with an Internet
520 connection, an email account, and about forty minutes.
</p>
522 <p>Even if you have nothing to hide, using encryption helps protect the privacy
523 of people you communicate with, and makes life difficult for bulk surveillance
524 systems. If you do have something important to hide, you're in good company;
525 these are the same tools that whistleblowers use to protect their identities
526 while shining light on human rights abuses, corruption, and other crimes.
</p>
528 <p>In addition to using encryption, standing up
529 to surveillance requires fighting politically for a
<a
530 href=
"https://gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html">reduction
531 in the amount of data collected on us
</a>, but the essential first step is
532 to protect yourself and make surveillance of your communication as difficult
533 as possible. This guide helps you do that. It is designed for beginners, but
534 if you already know the basics of GnuPG or are an experienced free software
535 user, you'll enjoy the advanced tips and the
<a href=
"workshops.html">guide
536 to teaching your friends
</a>.
</p>
538 </div><!-- End .intro -->
539 </div></header><!-- End #header -->
541 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 1: Get the pieces ~~~~~~~~~ -->
542 <section class=
"row" id=
"section1"><div>
544 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
545 <div class=
"section-intro">
547 <h2><em>#
1</em> Get the pieces
</h2>
549 <p class=
"notes">This guide relies on software which is
<a
550 href=
"https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">freely licensed
</a>;
551 it's completely transparent and anyone can copy it or make their
552 own version. This makes it safer from surveillance than proprietary
553 software (like Windows or macOS). Learn more about free software at
<a
554 href=
"https://u.fsf.org/ys">fsf.org
</a>.
</p>
556 <p>Most GNU/Linux operating systems come with GnuPG installed on them, so if you're running one of these systems, you don't have to download it. If you're running macOS or Windows, steps to download GnuPG are below. Before configuring your encryption setup with this guide, though, you'll need a desktop email program installed on your computer. Many GNU/Linux distributions have one installed already, such as Icedove, which may be under the alternate name
"Thunderbird." Programs like these are another way to access the same email accounts you can access in a browser (like Gmail), but provide extra features.
</p>
558 <p>If you already have an email program, you can skip to
<a
559 href=
"#section2">Step
2</a>.
</p>
561 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
563 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
564 <div id=
"step-1a" class=
"step">
565 <div class=
"sidebar">
568 src=
"../static/img/en/screenshots/step1a-install-wizard.png"
569 alt=
"Step 1.A: Install Wizard" /></p>
571 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
574 <h3><em>Step
1.a
</em> Set up your email program with your email account
</h3>
576 <p>Open your email program and follow the wizard (step-by-step walkthrough)
577 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>
580 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
581 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
583 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
586 <dt>The wizard doesn't launch
</dt>
587 <dd>You can launch the wizard yourself, but the menu option for doing so is
588 named differently in each email program. The button to launch it will be in
589 the program's main menu, under
"New" or something similar, titled something
590 like
"Add account" or
"New/Existing email account."</dd>
592 <dt>The wizard can't find my account or isn't downloading my mail
</dt>
593 <dd>Before searching the Web, we recommend you start by asking other people
594 who use your email system, to figure out the correct settings.
</dd>
596 <dt>I can't find the menu
</dt>
597 <dd>In many new email programs, the main menu is represented by an image of
598 three stacked horizontal bars.
</dd>
600 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
601 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
602 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
606 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
607 </div><!-- End .main -->
608 </div><!-- End #step1-a .step -->
610 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
611 <div id=
"step-1b" class=
"step">
614 <h3><em>Step
1.b
</em> Get your terminal ready and install GnuPG
</h3>
616 <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>
617 <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>
619 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ MACOS ~~~~~~~~~ -->
620 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
625 <dt>Use a third-party package manager to install GnuPG
</dt>
626 <dd>Your macOS comes with a program called
"Terminal" pre-installed, which we'll use to set up your encryption with GnuPG, using the command line. However, the default macOS package manager makes it difficult to install GnuPG and other pieces of free software (like Emacs, GIMP, or Inkscape).
<br/>
627 To make things easier, we recommend setting up the third-party package manager
"Homebrew" to install GnuPG. Copy the link on the home page of
<a href=
"https://brew.sh/">Homebrew
</a> and paste it in Terminal. Click
"Enter" and wait for it to finalize.
<br/>
628 When it is done, install the program by entering the following code in Terminal:
<br/>
629 <span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">brew install gnupg gnupg2
</span>. After installation is done, you can follow the steps of the rest of this guide.
</dd>
632 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
634 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ WINDOWS ~~~~~~~~~ -->
635 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
640 <dt>Get GnuPG by downloading GPG4Win
</dt>
641 <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.
<br/>
644 <p class=
"notes">To follow the rest of the steps in this guide, you'll use the program called
"PowerShell", which is a program you'll see elsewhere referred to as a
"terminal." This allows you to operate your computer using the command line.
</p>
648 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
649 </div><!-- End .main -->
650 </div><!-- End #step1-b .step -->
652 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
653 <div id=
"terminology" class=
"step">
656 <h3>GnuPG, OpenPGP, what?
</h3>
658 <p>In general, the terms GnuPG, GPG, GNU Privacy Guard, OpenPGP and PGP
659 are used interchangeably. Technically, OpenPGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is the
660 encryption standard, and GNU Privacy Guard (often shortened to GPG or GnuPG)
661 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>
663 </div><!-- End .main -->
664 </div><!-- End #terminology.step-->
666 </div></section><!-- End #section1 -->
668 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 2: Make your keys ~~~~~~~~~ -->
669 <section id=
"section2" class=
"row"><div>
671 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
672 <div class=
"section-intro">
674 <h2><em>#
2</em> Make your keys
</h2>
675 <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>
677 <p>To use the GnuPG system, you'll need a public key and a private key (known
678 together as a keypair). Each is a long string of randomly generated numbers
679 and letters that are unique to you. Your public and private keys are linked
680 together by a special mathematical function.
</p>
682 <p>Your public key isn't like a physical key, because it's stored in the open
683 in an online directory called a keyserver. People download it and use it,
684 along with GnuPG, to encrypt emails they send to you. You can think of the
685 keyserver as a phonebook; people who want to send you encrypted email can
686 look up your public key.
</p>
688 <p>Your private key is more like a physical key, because you keep it to
689 yourself (on your computer). You use GnuPG and your private key together to
690 descramble encrypted emails other people send to you.
<span style=
"font-weight:
691 bold;">You should never share your private key with anyone, under any
692 circumstances.
</span></p>
694 <p>In addition to encryption and decryption, you can also use these keys to
695 sign messages and check the authenticity of other people's signatures. We'll
696 discuss this more in the next section.
</p>
698 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
700 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
701 <div id=
"step-2a" class=
"step">
702 <div class=
"sidebar">
704 src=
"../static/img/en/screenshots/step2a-02-make-keypair.png"
705 alt=
"Step 2.A: Make your Keypair" /></p>
708 src=
"../static/img/en/screenshots/step2a-03-make-keypair.png"
709 alt=
"Step 2.A: Set your passphrase" /></p>
712 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
715 <h3><em>Step
2.a
</em> Make a keypair
</h3>
716 <h6>Make your keypair
</h6>
717 <p>Open a terminal using
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">ctrl + alt + t
</span> (on GNU/linux), or find it in your applications, and use the following code to create your keypair:
</p>
719 <p class=
"notes">We will use the command line in a terminal to create a keypair using the GnuPG program. A terminal should be installed on your GNU/Linux operating system, if you are using a macOS or Windows OS system, use the programs
"Terminal" (macOS) or
"PowerShell" (Windows) that were also used in section
1.
</p>
721 <p>#
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --full-generate-key
</span> to start the process.
</p>
722 <p># To answer what kind of key you would like to create, select the default option
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;"> 1 RSA and RSA
</span>.
</p>
723 <p># Enter the following keysize:
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">4096</span> for a strong key.
</p>
724 <p># Choose the expiration date, we suggest
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">2y
</span> (
2 years).
</p>
725 <p>Follow the prompts to continue setting up with your personal details.
</p>
728 <h6>Set your passphrase
</h6>
729 <p>On the screen titled
"Passphrase," pick a strong password! You can
730 do it manually, or you can use the Diceware method. Doing it manually
731 is faster but not as secure. Using Diceware takes longer and requires
732 dice, but creates a password that is much harder for attackers to figure
733 out. To use it, read the section
"Make a secure passphrase with Diceware" in
<a
734 href=
"https://theintercept.com/2015/03/26/passphrases-can-memorize-attackers-cant-guess/">
735 this article
</a> by Micah Lee.
</p>
738 <p>If you'd like to pick a passphrase manually, come up with something
739 you can remember which is at least twelve characters long, and includes
740 at least one lower case and upper case letter and at least one number or
741 punctuation symbol. Never pick a password you've used elsewhere. Don't use
742 any recognizable patterns, such as birthdays, telephone numbers, pets' names,
743 song lyrics, quotes from books, and so on.
</p>
747 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
748 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
750 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
752 <dt>GnuPG is not installed
</dt>
754 GPG is not installed. You can check if this is the case with the command
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --version
</span>.
755 If GnuPG is not installed, it would bring up the following result on most GNU/Linux operating systems, or something like it:
756 <span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">Command 'gpg' not found, but can be installed with:
757 sudo apt install gnupg
</span>. Follow that command and install the program.
</dd>
759 <dt>I took too long to create my passphrase
</dt>
760 <dd>That's okay. It's important to think about your passphrase. When you're ready, just follow the steps from the beginning again to create your key.
</dd>
762 <dt>How can I see my key?
</dt>
764 Use the following command to see all keys
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --list-keys
</span>. 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
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --list-key [your@email]
</span>.
765 You can also use
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --list-secret-key
</span> to see your own private key.
</dd>
767 <dt>More resources
</dt>
768 <dd>For more information about this process, you can also refer to
<a
769 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/c14.html#AEN25">The GNU Privacy
770 Handbook
</a>. Make sure you stick with
"RSA and RSA" (the default),
771 because it's newer and more secure than the algorithms the documentation
772 recommends. Also make sure your key is at least
4096 bits if you
773 want to be secure.
</dd>
775 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
776 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
777 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
781 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
783 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
784 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
788 <dt>Advanced key pairs
</dt>
789 <dd>When GnuPG creates a new keypair, it compartmentalizes
790 the encryption function from the signing function through
<a
791 href=
"https://wiki.debian.org/Subkeys">subkeys
</a>. If you use
792 subkeys carefully, you can keep your GnuPG identity more
793 secure and recover from a compromised key much more quickly.
<a
794 href=
"https://alexcabal.com/creating-the-perfect-gpg-keypair/">Alex Cabal
</a>
795 and
<a href=
"https://keyring.debian.org/creating-key.html">the Debian wiki
</a>
796 provide good guides for setting up a secure subkey configuration.
</dd>
799 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
800 </div><!-- End .main -->
801 </div><!-- End #step-2a .step -->
803 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
804 <div id=
"step-2b" class=
"step">
805 <div class=
"sidebar">
807 src=
"../static/img/en/screenshots/step2b-04-upload-and-certificate.png"
808 alt=
"Step 2.B: Send to server and generate a certificate" /></p>
810 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
813 <h3><em>Step
2.b
</em> Some important steps following creation
</h3>
815 <h6>Upload your key to a keyserver
</h6>
816 <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
817 that you can select from the menu when you upload, but they are all copies
818 of each other, so it doesn't matter which one you use. However, it sometimes
819 takes a few hours for them to match each other when a new key is uploaded.
</p>
820 <p># Copy your keyID
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gnupg --list-key [your@email]
</span> 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>
821 <p># Upload your key to a server:
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --send-key [keyID]
</span></p>
825 <h6>Export your key to a file
</h6>
826 <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>
828 <span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">
829 $ gpg --export-secret-keys -a [keyid]
> my_secret_key.asc
<br/>
830 $ gpg --export -a [keyid]
> my_public_key.asc
<br/>
835 <h6>Generate a revocation certificate
</h6>
836 <p>Just in case you lose your key, or it gets compromised, you want to generate a certificate and choose to save it in a safe place on your computer for now (please refer to
<a href=
"#step-6c"> step
6.C
</a> for how to best store your revocation cerficate safely). This step is essential for your email self-defense, as you'll learn more about in
<a href=
"#section5">Section
5</a>.
</p>
838 <p># Copy your keyID
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gnupg --list-key [your@email]
</span> 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>
839 <p># Generate a revocation certificate:
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">gpg --gen-revoke --output revoke.asc [keyID]
</span></p>
840 <p># It will prompt you to give a reason for revocation, we recommend to use
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">1 "key has been compromised"</span></p>
841 <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>
845 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
846 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
848 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
851 <dt>My key doesn't seem to be working or I get a
"permission denied."</dt>
852 <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.
<br/><br/>
854 # Check your permissions:
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">ls -l ~/.gnupg/*
</span><br/><br/>
855 # Set permissions to read, write, execute for only yourself, no others. This is the recommended permission for your folder.
<br/>
856 You can use the code
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">chmod
700 ~/.gnupg
</span><br/><br/>
857 # Set permissions to read and write for yourself only, no others. This is the recommended permission for the keys inside your folder.
<br/>
858 You can use the code:
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">chmod
600 ~/.gnupg/*
</span><br/><br/>
860 <p class=
"notes">If you have (for any reason) created your own folders inside ~/.gnupg, you must also additionally apply execute permissions to that folder. Folders require execution privileges to be opened. For more information on permissions, you can check out
<a href=
"https://helpdeskgeek.com/linux-tips/understanding-linux-permissions-chmod-usage/">this detailed information guide
</a>.
</p><br/>
862 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
863 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
864 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
868 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
870 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
871 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
876 <dt>More about keyservers
</dt>
877 <dd>You can find some more keyserver information
<a
878 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x457.html"> in this manual
</a>.
<a
879 href=
"https://sks-keyservers.net/overview-of-pools.php">The sks Web site
</a>
880 maintains a list of highly interconnected keyservers. You can also
<a
881 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x56.html#AEN64">directly export
882 your key
</a> as a file on your computer.
</dd>
884 <dt>Transferring your keys
</dt>
885 <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:
<br/>
887 <span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">
888 $ gpg --export-secret-keys -a keyid
> my_private_key.asc
<br/>
889 $ gpg --export -a keyid
> my_public_key.asc
<br/>
890 $ gpg --import my_private_key.asc
<br/>
891 $ gpg --import my_public_key.asc
<br/>
894 <p>Ensure that the keyID printed is the correct one, and if so, then go ahead and add ultimate trust for it:
</p>
895 <span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">
896 $ gpg --edit-key [your@email]
899 Because this is your key, you should choose
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa; font-family: monospace;">ultimate
</span>. You shouldn't trust anyone else's key ultimately.
901 <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>
905 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
906 </div><!-- End .main -->
907 </div><!-- End #step-2b .step -->
908 </div></section><!-- End #section2 -->
910 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 3: Set up email encryption ~~~~~~~~~ -->
911 <section id=
"section3" class=
"row"><div>
913 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
914 <div class=
"section-intro">
916 <h2><em>#
3</em> Set up email encryption
</h2>
917 <p class=
"notes">The Icedove (or Thunderbird) email program has PGP functionality integrated, which makes it pretty easy to work with. We'll take you through the steps of integrating and using your key in these email clients.
</p>
919 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
921 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
922 <div id=
"step-3a" class=
"step">
923 <div class=
"sidebar">
925 <p><img src=
"../static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-open-key-manager.png"
926 alt=
"Step 3.A: Email Menu" /></p>
928 <p><img src=
"../static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-import-from-file.png"
929 alt=
"Step 3.A: Import From File" /></p>
931 <p><img src=
"../static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-success.png"
932 alt=
"Step 3.A: Success" /></p>
934 <p><img src=
"../static/img/en/screenshots/step3a-troubleshoot.png"
935 alt=
"Step 3.A: Troubleshoot" /></p>
936 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
939 <h3><em>Step
3.a
</em> Set up your email with encryption
</h3>
940 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.
942 <p># Open your email client and use
"Tools" → <span style=
"color:#2f5faa;">OpenPGP Manager
</span></p>
943 <p># Under
"File" → <span style=
"color:#2f5faa;">Import Secret Key(s) From File
</span></p>
944 <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>
945 <p># Unlock with your passphrase
</p>
946 <p># You will receive a
"OpenPGP keys successfully imported" window to confirm success
</p>
947 <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
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa;">Treat this key as a Personal Key
</span>.
</p>
949 </div><!-- End .main -->
951 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
953 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
954 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
956 <dt>I'm not sure the import worked correctly
</dt>
958 Look for
"Account settings" → "End-To-End Encryption" (Under
"Edit" (in Icedove) or
"Tools" (in Thunderbird)). Here you can see if your personal key associated with this email is found. If it is not, you can try again via the
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa;">Add key
</span> option. Make sure you have the correct, active, secret key file.
961 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
962 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
963 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
967 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
968 </div><!-- End .main -->
969 </div><!-- End #step3-a .step -->
970 </div></section><!-- End #section3 -->
972 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 4: Try it out ~~~~~~~~~ -->
973 <section class=
"row" id=
"section4"><div>
975 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
976 <div class=
"section-intro">
978 <h2><em>#
4</em> Try it out!
</h2>
979 <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>
980 <p>Now you'll try a test correspondence with an FSF computer program named Edward,
981 who knows how to use encryption. Except where noted, these are the same
982 steps you'd follow when corresponding with a real, live person.
</p>
984 <!-- <p>NOTE: Edward is currently having some technical difficulties, so he
985 may take a long time to respond, or not respond at all. We're sorry about
986 this and we're working hard to fix it. Your key will still work even without
987 testing with Edward.</p> -->
988 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
990 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
991 <div id=
"step-4a" class=
"step">
992 <div class=
"sidebar">
995 src=
"../static/img/en/screenshots/step4a-send-key-to-Edward.png"
996 alt=
"Step 4.A Send key to Edward." /></p>
998 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
1001 <h3><em>Step
4.a
</em> Send Edward your public key
</h3>
1003 <p>This is a special step that you won't have to do when corresponding
1004 with real people. In your email program's menu, go to
"Tools" → "OpenPGP Key
1005 Manager." You should see your key in the list that pops up. Right click
1006 on your key and select
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa;">Send Public Keys by Email
</span>. 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>
1008 <p>Address the message to
<a
1009 href=
"mailto:edward-en@fsf.org">edward-en@fsf.org
</a>. Put at least one word
1010 (whatever you want) in the subject and body of the email. Don't send yet.
</p>
1012 <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
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa">Do Not Encrypt
</span>. Once encryption is off, hit Send.
</p>
1014 <p class=
"notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
1015 respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the
<a
1016 href=
"#section6">Use it Well
</a> section of this guide. Once you have received a response,
1017 head to the next step. From here on, you'll be doing just the same thing as
1018 when corresponding with a real person.
</p>
1020 <p>When you open Edward's reply, GnuPG may prompt you for your passphrase
1021 before using your private key to decrypt it.
</p>
1023 </div><!-- End .main -->
1024 </div><!-- End #step-4a .step -->
1026 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1027 <div id=
"step-4b" class=
"step">
1028 <div class=
"sidebar">
1031 src=
"../static/img/en/screenshots/step4b-option1-verify-key.png"
1032 alt=
"Step 4.B Option 1. Verify key" /></p>
1036 src=
"../static/img/en/screenshots/step4b-option2-import-key.png"
1037 alt=
"Step 4.B Option 2. Import key" /></p>
1038 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
1042 <h3><em>Step
4.b
</em> Send a test encrypted email
</h3>
1043 <h6>Get Edward's key
</h6>
1044 <p>To encrypt an email to Edward, you need its public key, so now you'll have
1045 to download it from a keyserver. You can do this in two different ways:
</p>
1046 <p><strong>Option
1.
</strong> In the email answer you received from Edward as a response to your first email, Edward's public key was included. On the right of the email, just above the writing area, you will find an
"OpenPGP" button that has a lock and a little wheel next to it. Click that, and select
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa">Discover
</span> 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.
</p>
1048 <p><strong>Option
2.
</strong> Open your OpenPGP manager and under
"Keyserver" choose
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa">Discover Keys Online
</span>. Here, fill in Edward's email address, and import Edward's key.
</p>
1050 <p>The option
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa">Accepted (unverified)
</span> 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>
1052 <p class=
"notes">In the popup window confirming if you want to import Edward's key, you'll see many different emails that are all associated with its key. This is correct; you can safely import the key.
</p>
1054 <p class=
"notes">Since you encrypted this email with Edward's public key,
1055 Edward's private key is required to decrypt it. Edward is the only one with
1056 its private key, so no one except Edward can decrypt it.
</p>
1059 <h6>Send Edward an encrypted email
</h6>
1061 <p> Write a new email in your email program, addressed to
<a
1062 href=
"mailto:edward-en@fsf.org">edward-en@fsf.org
</a>. Make the subject
1063 "Encryption test" or something similar and write something in the body.
</p>
1065 <p>This time, make sure encryption is turned on by using the dropdown menu
"Security" and select
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa">Require Encryption
</span>. Once encryption is on, hit Send.
</p>
1069 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1070 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
1072 <h4>Troubleshooting
</h4>
1075 <dt>"Recipients not valid, not trusted or not found"</dt>
1076 <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>
1078 <dt>Unable to send message
</dt>
1079 <dd>You could get the following message when trying to send your encrypted email:
"Unable to send this message with end-to-end encryption, because there are problems with the keys of the following recipients: edward-en@fsf.org." This usually means you imported the key with the
"unaccepted (unverified) option." Go to the
"key properties" of this key by right clicking on the key in the OpenPGP Key Manager, and select the option
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa">Yes, but I have not verified that this is the correct key
</span> in the
"Acceptance" option at the bottom of this window. Resend the email.
</dd>
1081 <dt>I can't find Edward's key
</dt>
1082 <dd>Close the pop-ups that have appeared since you clicked Send. Make sure
1083 you are connected to the Internet and try again. If that doesn't work, repeat
1084 the process, choosing a different keyserver when it asks you to pick one.
</dd>
1086 <dt>Unscrambled messages in the Sent folder
</dt>
1087 <dd>Even though you can't decrypt messages encrypted to someone else's key,
1088 your email program will automatically save a copy encrypted to your public key,
1089 which you'll be able to view from the Sent folder like a normal email. This
1090 is normal, and it doesn't mean that your email was not sent encrypted.
</dd>
1092 <dt class=
"feedback">Don't see a solution to your problem?
</dt>
1093 <dd class=
"feedback">Please let us know on the
<a
1094 href=
"https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Public_Review">feedback
1098 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
1100 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1101 <div class=
"troubleshooting">
1106 <dt>Encrypt messages from the command line
</dt>
1107 <dd>You can also encrypt and decrypt messages and files from the
<a
1108 href=
"https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x110.html">command line
</a>,
1109 if that's your preference. The option --armor makes the encrypted output
1110 appear in the regular character set.
</dd>
1113 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
1114 </div><!-- End .main -->
1115 </div><!-- End #step-4b .step -->
1117 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1118 <div id=
"step-headers_unencrypted" class=
"step">
1121 <h3><em>Important:
</em> Security tips
</h3>
1123 <p>Even if you encrypt your email, the subject line is not encrypted, so
1124 don't put private information there. The sending and receiving addresses
1125 aren't encrypted either, so a surveillance system can still figure out who
1126 you're communicating with. Also, surveillance agents will know that you're
1127 using GnuPG, even if they can't figure out what you're saying. When you
1128 send attachments, you can choose to encrypt them or not,
1129 independent of the actual email.
</p>
1131 <p>For greater security against potential attacks, you can turn off
1132 HTML. Instead, you can render the message body as plain text. In order
1133 to do this in Icedove or Thunderbird, go to View
> Message Body As
> Plain
1136 </div><!-- End .main -->
1137 </div><!-- End #step-headers_unencrypted .step-->
1139 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1140 <div id=
"step-4c" class=
"step">
1141 <div class=
"sidebar">
1144 src=
"../static/img/en/screenshots/step4c-Edward-response.png"
1145 alt=
"Step 4.C Edward's response" /></p>
1147 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
1151 <h3><em>Step
4.c
</em> Receive a response
</h3>
1153 <p>When Edward receives your email, it will use its private key to decrypt
1154 it, then reply to you.
</p>
1156 <p class=
"notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
1157 respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the
<a
1158 href=
"#section6">Use it Well
</a> section of this guide.
</p>
1160 <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>
1162 <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>
1164 </div><!-- End .main -->
1165 </div><!-- End #step-4c .step -->
1167 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1168 <div id=
"step-4d" class=
"step">
1171 <h3><em>Step
4.d
</em> Send a signed test email
</h3>
1173 <p>GnuPG includes a way for you to sign messages and files, verifying that
1174 they came from you and that they weren't tampered with along the way. These
1175 signatures are stronger than their pen-and-paper cousins -- they're impossible
1176 to forge, because they're impossible to create without your private key
1177 (another reason to keep your private key safe).
</p>
1179 <p>You can sign messages to anyone, so it's a great way to make people
1180 aware that you use GnuPG and that they can communicate with you securely. If
1181 they don't have GnuPG, they will be able to read your message and see your
1182 signature. If they do have GnuPG, they'll also be able to verify that your
1183 signature is authentic.
</p>
1185 <p>To sign an email to Edward, compose any message to the email address and click the
1186 pencil icon next to the lock icon so that it turns gold. If you sign a
1187 message, GnuPG may ask you for your password before it sends the message,
1188 because it needs to unlock your private key for signing.
</p>
1190 <p>In
"Account Settings" → "End-To-End-Encryption" you can opt to
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa">add digital signature by default
</span>.
</p>
1192 </div><!-- End .main -->
1193 </div><!-- End #step-4d .step -->
1195 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1196 <div id=
"step-4e" class=
"step">
1199 <h3><em>Step
4.e
</em> Receive a response
</h3>
1201 <p>When Edward receives your email, he will use your public key (which
1202 you sent him in
<a href=
"#step-3a">Step
3.A
</a>) to verify the message
1203 you sent has not been tampered with and to encrypt a reply to you.
</p>
1205 <p class=
"notes">It may take two or three minutes for Edward to
1206 respond. In the meantime, you might want to skip ahead and check out the
<a
1207 href=
"#section6">Use it Well
</a> section of this guide.
</p>
1209 <p>Edward's reply will arrive encrypted, because he prefers to use encryption
1210 whenever possible. If everything goes according to plan, it should say
1211 "Your signature was verified." If your test signed email was also encrypted,
1212 he will mention that first.
</p>
1214 <p>When you receive Edward's email and open it, your email client will
1215 automatically detect that it is encrypted with your public key, and
1216 then it will use your private key to decrypt it.
</p>
1218 </div><!-- End .main -->
1219 </div><!-- End #step-4e .step -->
1222 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 5: Learn About the Web of Trust ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1223 <section class=
"row" id=
"section5"><div>
1225 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1226 <div class=
"section-intro">
1228 <h2><em>#
5</em> Learn about the Web of Trust
</h2>
1229 <p><img style=
"float:right; width:250px; margin-bottom:20px;" src=
"../static/img/en/screenshots/section5-web-of-trust.png" alt=
"Illustration of keys all interconnected with a web of lines"/></p>
1231 <p>Email encryption is a powerful technology, but it has a weakness:
1232 it requires a way to verify that a person's public key is actually
1233 theirs. Otherwise, there would be no way to stop an attacker from making
1234 an email address with your friend's name, creating keys to go with it, and
1235 impersonating your friend. That's why the free software programmers that
1236 developed email encryption created keysigning and the Web of Trust.
</p>
1238 <p>When you sign someone's key, you are publicly saying that you've verified
1239 that it belongs to them and not someone else.
</p>
1241 <p>Signing keys and signing messages use the same type of mathematical
1242 operation, but they carry very different implications. It's a good practice
1243 to generally sign your email, but if you casually sign people's keys, you
1244 may accidently end up vouching for the identity of an imposter.
</p>
1246 <p>People who use your public key can see who has signed it. Once you've
1247 used GnuPG for a long time, your key may have hundreds of signatures. You
1248 can consider a key to be more trustworthy if it has many signatures from
1249 people that you trust. The Web of Trust is a constellation of GnuPG users,
1250 connected to each other by chains of trust expressed through signatures.
</p>
1252 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
1254 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1255 <div id=
"step-5a" class=
"step">
1256 <div class=
"sidebar">
1259 src=
"../static/img/en/screenshots/step5a-key-properties.png"
1260 alt=
"Section 5: trusting a key" /></p>
1262 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
1265 <h3><em>Step
5.a
</em> Sign a key
</h3>
1267 <p>In your email program's menu, go to OpenPGP Key Manager and select
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa">Key properties
</span> by right clicking on Edward's key.
</p>
1269 <p>Under
"Your Acceptance," you can select
<span style=
"color:#2f5faa">Yes, I've verified in person this key has the correct fingerprint
"</span>.</p>
1271 <p class="notes
">You've just effectively said "I trust that Edward's public
1272 key actually belongs to Edward.
" This doesn't mean much because Edward isn't
1273 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>
1275 <!--<div id="pgp-pathfinder
">
1277 <form enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded
" action="/mk_path.cgi
"
1280 <p><strong>From:</strong><input type="text
" value="xD41A008
"
1283 <p><strong>To:</strong><input type="text
" value="50BD01x4
" name="TO
"></p>
1285 <p class="buttons
"><input type="submit
" value="trust paths
" name="PATHS
"><input
1286 type="reset
" value="reset
" name=".reset
"></p>
1290 </div>End #pgp-pathfinder -->
1291 </div><!-- End .main -->
1292 </div><!-- End #step-5a .step -->
1294 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1295 <div id="step-identify_keys
" class="step
">
1298 <h3>Identifying keys: Fingerprints and IDs</h3>
1300 <p>People's public keys are usually identified by their key fingerprint,
1301 which is a string of digits like F357AA1A5B1FA42CFD9FE52A9FF2194CC09A61E8
1302 (for Edward's key). You can see the fingerprint for your public key, and
1303 other public keys saved on your computer, by going to OpenPGP Key
1304 Management in your email program's menu, then right clicking on the key
1305 and choosing Key Properties. It's good practice to share your fingerprint
1306 wherever you share your email address, so that people can double-check that
1307 they have the correct public key when they download yours from a keyserver.</p>
1309 <p class="notes
">You may also see public keys referred to by a shorter
1310 keyID. This keyID is visible directly from the Key Management
1311 window. These eight character keyIDs were previously used for
1312 identification, which used to be safe, but is no longer reliable. You
1313 need to check the full fingerprint as part of verifying you have the
1314 correct key for the person you are trying to contact. Spoofing, in
1315 which someone intentionally generates a key with a fingerprint whose
1316 final eight characters are the same as another, is unfortunately
1319 </div><!-- End .main -->
1320 </div><!-- End #step-identify_keys .step-->
1322 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1323 <div id="check-ids-before-signing
" class="step
">
1326 <h3><em>Important:</em> What to consider when signing keys</h3>
1328 <p>Before signing a person's key, you need to be confident that it actually
1329 belongs to them, and that they are who they say they are. Ideally, this
1330 confidence comes from having interactions and conversations with them over
1331 time, and witnessing interactions between them and others. Whenever signing
1332 a key, ask to see the full public key fingerprint, and not just the shorter
1333 keyID. If you feel it's important to sign the key of someone you've just
1334 met, also ask them to show you their government identification, and make
1335 sure the name on the ID matches the name on the public key.</p>
1337 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Troubleshooting ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1338 <div class="troubleshooting
">
1343 <dt>Master the Web of Trust</dt>
1344 <dd>Unfortunately, trust does not spread between users the way <a
1345 href="https://fennetic.net/irc/finney.org/~hal/web_of_trust.html
">many people
1346 think</a>. One of the best ways to strengthen the GnuPG community is to deeply <a
1347 href="https://www.gnupg.org/gph/en/manual/x334.html
">understand</a> the Web of
1348 Trust and to carefully sign as many people's keys as circumstances permit.</dd>
1351 </div><!-- /.troubleshooting -->
1352 </div><!-- End .main -->
1353 </div><!-- End #check-ids-before-signing .step-->
1354 </div></section><!-- End #section5 -->
1356 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 6: Use it well ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1357 <section id="section6
" class="row
"><div>
1359 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ section introduction: interspersed text ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1360 <div class="section-intro
">
1362 <h2><em>#6</em> Use it well</h2>
1364 <p>Everyone uses GnuPG a little differently, but it's important to follow
1365 some basic practices to keep your email secure. Not following them, you
1366 risk the privacy of the people you communicate with, as well as your own,
1367 and damage the Web of Trust.</p>
1369 </div><!-- End .section-intro -->
1371 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1372 <div id="step-
6a
" class="step
">
1373 <div class="sidebar
">
1376 src="../static/img/en/screenshots/section6-
01-use-it-well.png
"
1377 alt="Section
6: Use it Well (
1)
" /></p>
1379 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
1382 <h3>When should I encrypt? When should I sign?</h3>
1384 <p>The more you can encrypt your messages, the better. If you only encrypt
1385 emails occasionally, each encrypted message could raise a red flag for
1386 surveillance systems. If all or most of your email is encrypted, people
1387 doing surveillance won't know where to start. That's not to say that only
1388 encrypting some of your email isn't helpful -- it's a great start and it
1389 makes bulk surveillance more difficult.</p>
1391 <p>Unless you don't want to reveal your own identity (which requires other
1392 protective measures), there's no reason not to sign every message, whether or
1393 not you are encrypting. In addition to allowing those with GnuPG to verify
1394 that the message came from you, signing is a non-intrusive way to remind
1395 everyone that you use GnuPG and show support for secure communication. If you
1396 often send signed messages to people that aren't familiar with GnuPG, it's
1397 nice to also include a link to this guide in your standard email signature
1398 (the text kind, not the cryptographic kind).</p>
1400 </div><!-- End .main -->
1401 </div><!-- End #step-6a .step -->
1403 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1404 <div id="step-
6b
" class="step
">
1405 <div class="sidebar
">
1408 src="../static/img/en/screenshots/section6-
02-use-it-well.png
"
1409 alt="Section
6: Use it Well (
2)
" /></p>
1411 </div><!-- /.sidebar -->
1414 <h3>Be wary of invalid keys</h3>
1416 <p>GnuPG makes email safer, but it's still important to watch out for invalid
1417 keys, which might have fallen into the wrong hands. Email encrypted with
1418 invalid keys might be readable by surveillance programs.</p>
1420 <p>In your email program, go back to the first encrypted email that Edward
1421 sent you. Because Edward encrypted it with your public key, it will have a
1422 green checkmark a at the top "OpenPGP
" button.</p>
1424 <p><b>When using GnuPG, make a habit of glancing at that button. The program
1425 will warn you there if you get an email signed with a key that can't
1428 </div><!-- End .main -->
1429 </div><!-- End #step-6b .step -->
1431 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1432 <div id="step-
6c
" class="step
">
1435 <h3>Copy your revocation certificate to somewhere safe</h3>
1437 <p>Remember when you created your keys and saved the revocation certificate
1438 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>
1440 <p>If your private key ever gets lost or stolen, you'll need this certificate
1441 file to let people know that you are no longer using that keypair.</p>
1443 </div><!-- End .main -->
1444 </div><!-- End #step-6c .step -->
1446 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1447 <div id="step-lost_key
" class="step
">
1450 <h3><em>IMPORTANT:</em> ACT SWIFTLY if someone gets your private key</h3>
1452 <p>If you lose your private key or someone else gets a hold
1453 of it (say, by stealing or cracking your computer), it's
1454 important to revoke it immediately before someone else uses
1455 it to read your encrypted email or forge your signature. This
1456 guide doesn't cover how to revoke a key, but you can follow these <a
1457 href="https://www.hackdiary.com/
2004/
01/
18/revoking-a-gpg-key/
">instructions</a>.
1458 After you're done revoking, make a new key and send an email to everyone
1459 with whom you usually use your key to make sure they know, including a copy
1460 of your new key.</p>
1462 </div><!-- End .main -->
1463 </div><!-- End #step-lost_key .step-->
1465 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1466 <div id="webmail-and-GnuPG
" class="step
">
1469 <h3>Webmail and GnuPG</h3>
1471 <p>When you use a web browser to access your email, you're using webmail,
1472 an email program stored on a distant website. Unlike webmail, your desktop
1473 email program runs on your own computer. Although webmail can't decrypt
1474 encrypted email, it will still display it in its encrypted form. If you
1475 primarily use webmail, you'll know to open your email client when you receive
1476 a scrambled email.</p>
1478 </div><!-- End .main -->
1479 </div><!-- End #webmail-and-GnuPG .step-->
1481 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ a div for each step ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1482 <div id="step-
6d
" class="step
">
1485 <h3>Make your public key part of your online identity</h3>
1487 <p> First add your public key fingerprint to your email signature, then
1488 compose an email to at least five of your friends, telling them you just
1489 set up GnuPG and mentioning your public key fingerprint. Link to this guide
1490 and ask them to join you. Don't forget that there's also an awesome <a
1491 href="infographic.html
">infographic to share.</a></p>
1493 <p class="notes
">Start writing your public key fingerprint anywhere someone
1494 would see your email address: your social media profiles, blog, Website,
1495 or business card. (At the Free Software Foundation, we put ours on our
1496 <a href="https://fsf.org/about/staff
">staff page</a>.) We need to get our
1497 culture to the point that we feel like something is missing when we see an
1498 email address without a public key fingerprint.</p>
1500 </div><!-- End .main-->
1501 </div><!-- End #step-6d .step-->
1502 </div></section><!-- End #section6 -->
1504 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Section 7: Next steps ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1505 <section class="row
" id="section7
">
1506 <div id="step-click_here
" class="step
">
1509 <h2><a href="next_steps.html
">Great job! Check out the next steps.</a></h2>
1511 </div><!-- End .main -->
1512 </div><!-- End #step-click_here .step-->
1513 </section><!-- End #section7 -->
1515 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ FAQ ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1516 <!-- When un-commenting this section go to main.css and search
1517 for /* Guide Sections Background */ then add #faq to the desired color
1518 <section class="row
" id="faq
"><div>
1519 <div class="sidebar
">
1527 <dt>My key expired</dt>
1528 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1530 <dt>Who can read encrypted messages? Who can read signed ones?</dt>
1531 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1533 <dt>My email program is opening at times I don't want it to open/is now my
1534 default program and I don't want it to be.</dt>
1535 <dd>Answer coming soon.</dd>
1540 </section> --><!-- End #faq -->
1542 <!-- ~~~~~~~~~ Footer ~~~~~~~~~ -->
1543 <footer class="row
" id="footer
"><div>
1544 <div id="copyright
">
1546 <h4><a href="https://u.fsf.org/ys
"><img
1547 alt="Free Software Foundation
"
1548 src="../static/img/fsf-logo.png
" /></a></h4>
1550 <p>Copyright © 2014-2021 <a
1551 href="https://u.fsf.org/ys
">Free Software Foundation</a>, Inc. <a
1552 href="https://my.fsf.org/donate/privacypolicy.html
">Privacy Policy</a>. Please
1553 support our work by <a href="https://u.fsf.org/yr
">joining us as an associate
1556 <p>The images on this page are under a <a
1557 href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
4.0/
">Creative Commons
1558 Attribution 4.0 license (or later version)</a>, and the rest of it is under
1559 a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/
4.0">Creative Commons
1560 Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license (or later version)</a>. Download the <a
1561 href="https://agpl.fsf.org/emailselfdefense.fsf.org/edward/CURRENT/edward.tar.gz
">
1562 source code of Edward reply bot</a> by Andrew Engelbrecht
1563 <andrew@engelbrecht.io> and Josh Drake <zamnedix@gnu.org>,
1564 available under the GNU Affero General Public License. <a
1565 href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#OtherLicenses
">Why these
1568 <p>Fonts used in the guide & infographic: <a
1569 href="https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Dosis
">Dosis</a> by Pablo
1570 Impallari, <a href="https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Signika
">Signika</a>
1571 by Anna Giedryś, <a
1572 href="https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Archivo+Narrow
">Archivo
1573 Narrow</a> by Omnibus-Type, <a
1574 href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/GPG_guide/Graphics_Howto#Pitfalls
">PXL-2000</a>
1575 by Florian Cramer.</p>
1577 <p>Download the <a href="emailselfdefense_source.zip
">source package</a>
1578 for this guide, including fonts, image source files and the text of Edward's
1581 <p>This site uses the Weblabels standard for labeling <a
1582 href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/freejs
">free JavaScript</a>. View
1583 the JavaScript <a href="https://weblabels.fsf.org/emailselfdefense.fsf.org/
"
1584 rel="jslicense
">source code and license information</a>.</p>
1586 </div><!-- /#copyright -->
1588 <p class="credits
">Infographic and guide design by <a rel="external
"
1589 href="https://jplusplus.org
"><strong>Journalism++</strong><img
1590 src="static/img/jplusplus.png
"
1591 alt="Journalism++
" /></a></p><!-- /.credits -->
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