5 ms·

Google works for the NSA. Avoid.

tptacek 13y ago
If you think you can do as robust a job at securing your mail as Google does with Gmail, by all means. But I'd feel awfully dumb if I migrated from Gmail to some other web mail provider only to lose my mail to a 17 year old with a Perl script.
- jrn 13y ago
  I'm paying hushmail. But I suppose it's no better, they still honour warrants, and I haven't actually used the encryption provided, other than notes to self. I left google, when they changed the privacy policy last year, all google services build one personal profile etc. This is a ramble, but hushmail works, thus far.
- lifeguard 13y ago
  I know I can select a webmail provider that is not beholden to the United States of America's government. If you think Google is the only company that can secure webmail, I bet you are an employee.
  - uxwtf 13y ago
    Has anybody considered compiling and using Zimbra for himself ;) ?
  - tptacek 13y ago
    If you really bet that, it says more about you than me. But anyways: what does it matter if your webmail provider isn't beholden to the government, if a suitably motivated teenager can read your mail because of software vulnerabilities? Google Mail isn't likely to be more secure just because Google is inherently better at building software than anyone else. Rather, it's because they allocate more resources to the problem of keeping Google Mail secure than any other mail provider does (or even can) allocate to their security.
    - deleted 13y ago
      [deleted]
    - lifeguard 13y ago
      False equivocation. A script kiddie is not the same as a three letter agency funded by a first world government.
      - tptacek 13y ago
        First, I don't think "equivocation" means what you think it means. Second, the equivalence isn't false. The Venn diagram of sites that can be compromised by script kiddies is entirely contained by that of sites that can be compromised by NSA.
        lifeguard 13y ago
        You are equivocating the NSA and script kiddies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivocation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivocation
  - shiven 13y ago
    I know I can select a webmail provider that is not beholden to the United States of America's government. Please do tell which one? And why you are sure they are not beholden to a government?
    - lifeguard 13y ago
      http://dir.yahoo.com/regional/countries/switzerland/business_and_economy/business_to_business/communications_and_networking/internet_and_world_wide_web/network_service_providers/internet_service_providers__isps_/ http://dir.yahoo.com/regional/countries/switzerland/business...

If you think you can do as robust a job at securing your mail as Google does with Gmail, by all means. But I'd feel awfully dumb if I migrated from Gmail to some other web mail provider only to lose my mail to a 17 year old with a Perl script.

jrn 13y ago
I'm paying hushmail. But I suppose it's no better, they still honour warrants, and I haven't actually used the encryption provided, other than notes to self. I left google, when they changed the privacy policy last year, all google services build one personal profile etc. This is a ramble, but hushmail works, thus far.
lifeguard 13y ago
I know I can select a webmail provider that is not beholden to the United States of America's government. If you think Google is the only company that can secure webmail, I bet you are an employee.
- uxwtf 13y ago
  Has anybody considered compiling and using Zimbra for himself ;) ?
- tptacek 13y ago
  If you really bet that, it says more about you than me. But anyways: what does it matter if your webmail provider isn't beholden to the government, if a suitably motivated teenager can read your mail because of software vulnerabilities? Google Mail isn't likely to be more secure just because Google is inherently better at building software than anyone else. Rather, it's because they allocate more resources to the problem of keeping Google Mail secure than any other mail provider does (or even can) allocate to their security.
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
  - lifeguard 13y ago
    False equivocation. A script kiddie is not the same as a three letter agency funded by a first world government.
    - tptacek 13y ago
      First, I don't think "equivocation" means what you think it means. Second, the equivalence isn't false. The Venn diagram of sites that can be compromised by script kiddies is entirely contained by that of sites that can be compromised by NSA.
      - lifeguard 13y ago
        You are equivocating the NSA and script kiddies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivocation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivocation
- shiven 13y ago
  I know I can select a webmail provider that is not beholden to the United States of America's government. Please do tell which one? And why you are sure they are not beholden to a government?
  - lifeguard 13y ago
    http://dir.yahoo.com/regional/countries/switzerland/business_and_economy/business_to_business/communications_and_networking/internet_and_world_wide_web/network_service_providers/internet_service_providers__isps_/ http://dir.yahoo.com/regional/countries/switzerland/business...