Phil Zimmermann's thoughts about PGP - We all should read them

[GazetaBitcoin]

In addition to The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto and The Cypherpunk Manifesto, presented in the past by me and, respective, bitmover, I think that another must read story is the one behind PGP, as Phil Zimmermann himself narrated it: Why I Wrote PGP.

The essay was written in June 1991 and updated 8 years later, in 1999.

It expresses Phil's concerns about privacy, including any type of privacy - from private discussions to private emails to post cards and so on.

"The right to privacy is spread implicitly throughout the Bill of Rights. But when the United States Constitution was framed, the Founding Fathers saw no need to explicitly spell out the right to a private conversation", states Phil, from the very beginning.

He shows with wisdom that everyone has the right to privacy! Unfortunately, not all take care about this important aspect of their lives. But this essay may inspire those who read it. It explains why people should shut the door in the face of those invading their privacy. It show why people, although they have nothing to hide, should have the right to say "no!". It tries to open your eyes to take care of your privacy, which is as precious as your own body.

"If you really are a law-abiding citizen with nothing to hide, then why don't you always send your paper mail on postcards? Why not submit to drug testing on demand? Why require a warrant for police searches of your house? Are you trying to hide something? If you hide your mail inside envelopes, does that mean you must be a subversive or a drug dealer, or maybe a paranoid nut? Do law-abiding citizens have any need to encrypt their email?"

All of the above are rhetorical questions. Still, they needed to be written, in order for people to understand their situation - which is a situation where governs and law enforcement agencies (which are the longer arms of the elites) are hungry for personal information, for financial information of their citizen, hungry for data, big data, and for feeding this hunger they instated a surveillance which evolved more and more, as the technology itself evolved. From eavesdroppers to bugging phone lines and to intercepting emails. There is no difference: the methodology was changed, but the objective remained the same - governs need to know all about citizen, either good or bad ones.

"PGP empowers people to take their privacy into their own hands. There has been a growing social need for it. That's why I wrote it", explains Phil in the end. We should all listen to his words!

"If privacy is outlawed, only outlaws will have privacy" -- Phil Zimmermann.

P.S.: For more materials regarding PGP, nullius wrote recently two exhaustive and outstanding posts (here and here).

Mulțumesc, nullius, for your writings! You inspired me to write this one!


Translations (in chronological order):

• Română: Gândurile lui Phil Zimmermann despre PGP – Cu toții ar trebui să le citim, translation by GazetaBitcoin
• Filipino: Phil Zimmermann's pananaw para sa PGP - Mainam na basahin, translation by Peanutswar
• German: Phil Zimmermanns Gedanken zu PGP - Wir alle sollten sie lesen, translation by CoinEraser
• Polish: Myśli Phila Zimmermanna na temat PGP - Wszyscy powinniśmy je przeczytać, translation by cygan
• Pidgin: Wetin Phil Zimmermann's Dey Reason about PGP  - Make all of us read am, translation by Davidvictorson
• French: Les pensées de Phil Zimmermann au sujet de PGP - Nous devrions tous les lire, translation by iwantmyhomepaidwithbtc2
• Bengali: PGP নিয়ে ফিল জিমারম্যানের চিন্তা - পড়া উচিত, translation by DYING_S0UL
• Russian: Mыcли Филa Циммepмaнa o PGP – Haм cлeдyeт иx пp&#, translation by FP91G
• Indonesian: Pemikiran Phil Zimmermann tentang PGP - Kita semua harus membacanya, translation by dansus021
• Urdu: پی جی پی کے بارے میں فل زیمر مین کے خیالات - ہم, translation by ThemePen

[1714056698]

1714056698

[GazetaBitcoin]

You are very welcome!

If you like reading about Bitcoin and crypto history, feel free to read also this other topics of mine:

- Bitcoin: The dream of Cypherpunks, libertarians and crypto-anarchists
- Governs are coming for the traders!
- Cryptocurrency vs digital money issued by the state
- The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto - We all should read it
- Governs try to limit access of public to information and freedom since ages
- When the govern wants to hold your private keys
- The call for Julian Assange || The WikiLeaks Manifesto - We all should read it.

[hugeblack]

If people care about their privacy, they will not download anonymous apps for entertainment purposes, so using PGP seems almost impossible to them.
People should know how important privacy is by going through personal experiences or seeing people who have been harmed because of their neglect of privacy, and then they will start thinking about how to find solutions.

In other words, the solution exists, but the problem has not been defined.

[GazetaBitcoin]

In other words, the solution exists, but the problem has not been defined.

Yes, true. And that's because:
- people don't understand the risks of not protecting their privacy
- some think "I have nothing to hide, therefore why bother?", meaning they don't care
- "friendly" (malicious) entities such as governs, banks, centralized exchanges, various apps etc. constantly encourage them to offer their personal data, information about finances and to expose their privacy at large, promising (false) security, (false) earnings, (false) profits, (false) recognition and other (false) things at large.

But these people never put in balance what happened to Julian Assange (for example), which after years of being anonymous under the nickname Mendax, he decided to become a public figure, compared with what happened to Satoshi Nakamoto, which remained anonymous. Julian Assange faces 250 years in jail for speaking truth which governs want to be hidden, while Satoshi... Well, apparently, nobody knows what he is doing, but certainly no govern has him inside a prison. We can say that on the other side Satoshi does now whatever he pleases. That's the difference between two people; furthermore: between two good individuals, which wanted to help the world, each in a distinct way, but they both wanted to help the world and they chose two different paths: one kept his privacy and one went public.

Even if Julian would become a martyr for his credo (and sad, there are big chances to happen that), that's still something to not choose when on the opposite site you have the chance to help the world and be anonymous...