General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSo A Random Stranger Says "Hey I Got A Story For You, Just Install This Encryption System"
And you just go right ahead an install an encryption system on your computer because some random stranger tells you he's got a story.
Doesn't say what the story is about, or indicate what his identity is in any way.
Greenwald really just does that sort of thing when random strangers contact him?
Does he send money to african princes too?
Democracyinkind
(4,015 posts).. Just to be accurate. Not that that makes him appear any smarter/more cautious.
On the other hand, what's a journalist to do if he doesn't want to suck up to the NS apparatus and get his leaks through that route?
OnyxCollie
(9,958 posts)to telecoms that illegally spied on US citizens."
Then he votes to do the opposite.
And then he gets elected after you voted for him, and expands the program he previously said was illegal, and you complain that someone is pointing out the error of your decision.
Are you gullible? Magic 8-Ball says, "Yes."
KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)and wants to pretend it's just about a whistleblower
or the NSA
Are you reality based? Magic 8-Ball says, "NO".
Recursion
(56,582 posts)But that's just a guess.
ljm2002
(10,751 posts)...investigative reporter or advocacy reporter, he is well known and will be contacted by people who want to get their story out there.
You have no way of knowing what precautions Greenwald may have taken before installing that encryption software. For example, Snowden could have provided him a link to a known site, that Greenwald could vet through a variety of sources. Often software like that comes with a hash key so you can check what you downloaded against the official copy at the site.
You're reaching here.
frylock
(34,825 posts)but we both know that it's more than that.
Jarla
(156 posts)It's, like, one of the most widely used formats for encrypting email in the world, and several different companies sell software that use the PGP standard. See: http://www.openpgp.org/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_Good_Privacy
It's like the equivalent of using https on certain web pages.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)Even if Greenwald is not a crypto geek, there's a multitude of publicly available information about the cryptosystem (including my Master's thesis).
(Just to clear up: GPG is the most popular implementation of PGP, which was mentioned upthread. PGP is the protocol; GPG is the implementation of it.)
quinnox
(20,600 posts)That is another thing really bad since he is an American citizen. I guess he must hate America.
longship
(40,416 posts)All I would say is: "Fine, give me your public key and I'll give you mine."
And we'd be good to go. Furthermore, I would know absolutely that any encrypted message was absolutely and positively sent from the same individual whose public key I took. And the same for him, or her, regarding the transmissions from me.
Public key crypto is awesome. And secure.
I don't use it very often any more, but I am retired and have little use for it here on DU and all I get via e-mail anymore is SPAM.
My choice is Gnu Privacy Guard. My keyring is protected by a long, random, unguessable pass phrase which is not written down anywhere. And knowing that will not help you break into it.
datasuspect
(26,591 posts)virtualize windows in a linux environment and you can play with all kinds of shit.
usGovOwesUs3Trillion
(2,022 posts)especially the way they delight in their ostentatious celebratory display of it.