Lavabit.com and Tormail Email Alternatives...

[justusranvier]

I assume someone has already mentioned bitmessage.org (even though it's not email) it could replace email someday as a secure alternative.

Unless it becomes possible to send and receive messages to non-bitmessage users I highly doubt it will gain much acceptance. There's too much network effect to overcome.

[The 4ner]

Well then what about The PirateBay's encrypted chat messaging project?
I haven't heard much talk about it from the Bitcoin community and they were even taking Bitcoin donations.
I donated $5 worth of BTC to the project and in return will receive to codes to unlock some feature when the app is released.

The only down side to all of this is that the app will only be available for iOS and Android devices. They will eventually make the app for PCs but not until they've completed the phone version.

Here's a link to the site: https://heml.is

[ixne]

The sad thing is that encryption is complicated enough that the average law-abiding citizen will not jump through the hoops required to get it up and running, but so cheap and easily accessible that any criminal or terrorist smart enough to pose a real threat can easily incorporate it.

It doesn't make sense that the government is spending so much money and effort collecting all of this private data just to catch the dumbest terrorists out there.

[hypersire]

I am eagerly awaiting the release of StartMail, from the StartPage developers:

https://beta.startmail.com/

[El Extranjero]

I am eagerly awaiting the release of StartMail, from the StartPage developers:

https://beta.startmail.com/

Can they be trusted with our data? Are they an American company? And are they as secure as Lavabit?

Looks like a great alternative that will definitely be needed for us ex-Lavabit users whom await good news about the service.

[wolverine.ks]

For email services, I think running your own mail server is a good idea.

those interested in easy to encrypt email hosted on your own servers, check out MailPile.

they are Foss, and are raising money on indigogo.

@MailPileTeam

http://mailpile.is/

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mailpile-taking-e-mail-back

and they take bitcoin!

[becoin]

The sad thing is that encryption is complicated enough that the average law-abiding citizen will not jump through the hoops required to get it up and running, but so cheap and easily accessible that any criminal or terrorist smart enough to pose a real threat can easily incorporate it.

It doesn't make sense that the government is spending so much money and effort collecting all of this private data just to catch the dumbest terrorists out there.

It makes perfect sense if you understand that the primary purpose of collecting all this private data is not to guard you from terrorists!

The government needs all this data to control society through social engineering and paid media presstitutes. It is not that difficult to see what is in the mind of a senior government official. They know better what is good for us than we do. They are responsible statesmen. Average Joe and Mary are just dumb sheeple.

[marcus_of_augustus]

I assume someone has already mentioned bitmessage.org (even though it's not email) it could replace email someday as a secure alternative.

Unless it becomes possible to send and receive messages to non-bitmessage users I highly doubt it will gain much acceptance. There's too much network effect to overcome.

It is already possible to configure Thunderbird mail client to route mail through the bitmessage network ... it will become just another protocol layer option like POP, IMAP, SMTP, etc.

[hypersire]

I am eagerly awaiting the release of StartMail, from the StartPage developers:

https://beta.startmail.com/

Can they be trusted with our data? Are they an American company? And are they as secure as Lavabit?

Looks like a great alternative that will definitely be needed for us ex-Lavabit users whom await good news about the service.

It sounds like it will be the best choice for private email available. I know StartPage is highly recommended for internet searches as it uses the google search engine but without all the tracking.

Not sure where they will be based out of - I highly doubt it will be the US as that would defeat the whole purpose.

I was a Lavabit user too - when I researched them and discovered they were American I didn't want to use them but there weren't any other good alternatives. I pray that StartMail is what we've all been waiting for.

[Cryptoman]

I assume someone has already mentioned bitmessage.org (even though it's not email) it could replace email someday as a secure alternative.

Unless it becomes possible to send and receive messages to non-bitmessage users I highly doubt it will gain much acceptance. There's too much network effect to overcome.

It is already possible to configure Thunderbird mail client to route mail through the bitmessage network ... it will become just another protocol layer option like POP, IMAP, SMTP, etc.

There's also I2P mail, which has a gateway out to the internet at large.

[The 4ner]

I am eagerly awaiting the release of StartMail, from the StartPage developers:

https://beta.startmail.com/

Can they be trusted with our data? Are they an American company? And are they as secure as Lavabit?

Looks like a great alternative that will definitely be needed for us ex-Lavabit users whom await good news about the service.

It sounds like it will be the best choice for private email available. I know StartPage is highly recommended for internet searches as it uses the google search engine but without all the tracking.

Not sure where they will be based out of - I highly doubt it will be the US as that would defeat the whole purpose.

I was a Lavabit user too - when I researched them and discovered they were American I didn't want to use them but there weren't any other good alternatives. I pray that StartMail is what we've all been waiting for.

Let's hope so! I saw the video and the description they gave of the service sounds exactly the same as Lavabit's description. I'm pretty excited for it myself. 

[marcus_of_augustus]

It sounds like it will be the best choice for private email available. I know StartPage is highly recommended for internet searches as it uses the google search engine but without all the tracking.

Not sure where they will be based out of - I highly doubt it will be the US as that would defeat the whole purpose.

Ixquick is UK based ...

[justusranvier]

There's also I2P mail, which has a gateway out to the internet at large.

The only problem with I2P mail is that the admins don't want heavy usage, i.e you're only supposed to download mail a few times per day.

That makes sense when it's necessary to operate it as a free service, but it's no longer impossible to make anonymous online payments to services like that.

Perhaps whomever runs that site could be persuaded to make a paid premium version.

[2dogs]

Sounds easy enough for Mom or Grandma:

http://blogs.computerworld.com/encryption/21363/easily-encrypt-gmail

[becoin]

I assume someone has already mentioned bitmessage.org (even though it's not email) it could replace email someday as a secure alternative.

Unless it becomes possible to send and receive messages to non-bitmessage users I highly doubt it will gain much acceptance. There's too much network effect to overcome.

It is already possible to configure Thunderbird mail client to route mail through the bitmessage network ... it will become just another protocol layer option like POP, IMAP, SMTP, etc.

Excellent.

[money changer]

Just use whatever email you like and encrypt your message. Encourage your recipients to do the same.

+1

I don't understand why would someone use tormail or any other "hidden" email service for that matter, if I was a fed looking for drug dealers that would be the first place I'd look, same thing with sensitive information..

I'm not sure if someone already answered this further in the thread, but allow me to offer this. If someone wants to prove something regarding your communications with another party, having proof in the meta data that you did indeed send or receive email from a person's account goes a long way toward making their case.

If your spouse says you had an affair or your boss says you shared trade secrets, and an attorney can compel Gmail to reveal that you were regularly emailing the party in question, then they have a lot more leverage than with out such data.

Reaching your email via Tor protect you from anyone knowing where you visited and keeps the visited website from logging your IP and identifying you.

Money Changer

[CompNsci]

I still prefer end-to-end encryption. There are some decent clients for GPG or PGP, we just need to get more people using them.

[threeip]

I still prefer end-to-end encryption. There are some decent clients for GPG or PGP, we just need to get more people using them.

...and yet people still scramble for 'convenience' or whatever reason they want the next big thing.

GPG was released 14 years ago!

rightclick -> encrypt -> pick your recipient -> enter passphrase.
I still don't understand what's so hard about it - and you can use what ever network* you like.


*email/skype/forum pm/bitmessage/paper&pen/write it on a pigeon..

[justusranvier]

I still don't understand what's so hard about it

Have you ever watched a normal people use a computer? Have you ever tried to help someone who doesn't know anything about cryptography set up an email client to use PGP?

It's a usability disaster.

Look at the video I posted earlier in the thread and could the number of steps involved, then consider that in general every button click required to get a program installed cuts the number of potential users in half.

[threeip]

Have you ever watched a normal people use a computer? Have you ever tried to help someone who doesn't know anything about cryptography set up an email client to use PGP?

Yep - These are the same people who can't won't learn to drive a manual gearbox'd car because its 'too hard'. People just don't want to learn or discover new things, or ways to do things better, so they suffer.

(I mean NO SHIT, you mean Gmail is free and just runs itself? Ok then imma use it! Obviously Google have nothing to gain from it....)