PRISM/That gmail alternative..

AnCatDubh

Have been searching the PRISM threads and can't find the service someone recommended as an alternate to gmail.

I think they were swiss based?

Anyone recall? I think they had a fairly decent free service on offer.

Many thanks.

46 0s

fastmail, hushmail and tormail only ones metioned as far as I can remember.

Macumazan

46 0s wrote: »

fastmail, hushmail and tormail only ones metioned as far as I can remember.

I wouldn't suggest hushmail as they comply with requests from law enforcement for data and as such they can decrypt any message.

Tormail and I2P mail if you want anonymity but it will still be possible to intercept messages so you really need to think about using a program like GPG if you want to protect the content of your messages.

If you're looking for a European mail provider, you need one which doesn't comply with the EU Data Retention directive such as one based in the Netherlands. I am using email.is which is based in Iceland which has much stricter privacy laws.

If you need any help getting started, send me a PM.

Nika Bolokov

Is email.is ok ?

Dont seem to have an encrypted connection when I log in.

Macumazan

Nika Bolokov wrote: »

Is email.is ok ?

Dont seem to have an encrypted connection when I log in.

An excellent question Nika, no I don't think there's an SSL version but then I have always thought this provides a false comfort so have switched to GPG. There's also Fastmail and Runbox, both of which can be hosted outside the EU and US prying eyes and definitely do use SSL.

Nika Bolokov

Ah ok.

I look forward to the launch of the email service from Mega which should make all this simpler.

Trojan

There's a massive gap in the market here for a privacy focused email provider with good usability & scalability.

Macumazan

Trojan wrote: »

There's a massive gap in the market here for a privacy focused email provider with good usability & scalability.

Well we do have a few commercial contenders like Lavabit but honestly I don't think you can do better than Tormail or I2P which are free and anonymous if used correctly. If you go on the deep web these seem to be the standard and it's pretty easy to see why as any company registered to a bricks and mortar address might start out with the best of intentions and then be served with a court order or worse a black box jammed into their machines - which of course is what happened with Hushmail.

Still would be interested to hear everyone's thoughts on this but that's my two cents.

AnCatDubh

Any thoughts or alarm bells for anyone as to Norway (Non US company) being a reasonably secure hosting service for your email - data centre in Norway ?

Dude111

Macumazan wrote:

I wouldn't suggest hushmail as they comply with requests from law enforcement for data and as such they can decrypt any message.

.....As any email provider would who didnt wanna risk being shut down!

Cyber735

Macumazan wrote: »

I wouldn't suggest hushmail as they comply with requests from law enforcement for data and as such they can decrypt any message.

In fairness, if your emails contain information that law enforcement agencies want so much that they make a formal request to access it, well then maybe you shouldn't be sending them in the first place.

I mean unless you're terrorist/paedo whats the point in having 256-bit AES encrypted emails?

Dude111

Well PRIVACY is top priority right??

AnCatDubh

AnCatDubh wrote: »

Any thoughts or alarm bells for anyone as to Norway (Non US company) being a reasonably secure hosting service for your email - data centre in Norway ?

Actually, scrap that Norweigan Company, US data centre :mad:

The [non google] search continues :pac:

Nika Bolokov

Theres also Yandex Mail

Based in .........Russia.........

Dermot Illogical

46 0s wrote: »

fastmail, hushmail and tormail only ones metioned as far as I can remember.

FYP

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023402394

Nika Bolokov

Lavabit now gone also as of this morning.

Dude111

Yup quite disturbing things going on for sure!!

They think they own the world which is scary!!!!!!!!

Piliger

I am looking at NeoMailBox right now for my personal and business email. But it doesn't seem ready yet.

I believe that people need to get a grip on their overexcitement about privacy.

Ultimately the NSA will intercept everything. That's the bottom line. So what we need is encryption such as PGP, and hosting etc in Europe. NOT because we don't have European agencies accessing all of this traffic, but because at least in Europe it appears to me that there is a somewhat better legal framework that controls and limits access by the security services. And that is really what we want imho. The most critical issue is not who is accessing and storing the data, that train has left the station, it is who is allowed access to that data.

Trojan is right. There is a MASSIVE opportunity here for new European ventures in this sector. And that gives IRISH entrepreneurs an incredible opportunity that may not come around again for decades !!

I believe that the 24/7 mantra that everyone used to have for free everything is at it's weakest ever. People are ready now to consider paying something for their email and linked services. They now realise that THEY are the product when everything is free. Unfortunately NeoMailBox is looking for $80pa for email space equivalent to what Gmail is offering free. But if someone can offer it for <€50, with calendar and then phone apps, etc. then the European market is there for the taking.

oppenheimer1

Cyber735 wrote: »

In fairness, if your emails contain information that law enforcement agencies want so much that they make a formal request to access it, well then maybe you shouldn't be sending them in the first place.

I mean unless you're terrorist/paedo whats the point in having 256-bit AES encrypted emails?

To protect intellectual property perhaps?

Piliger

Cyber735 wrote: »

In fairness, if your emails contain information that law enforcement agencies want so much that they make a formal request to access it, well then maybe you shouldn't be sending them in the first place.

I mean unless you're terrorist/paedo whats the point in having 256-bit AES encrypted emails?

Excuse me for butting into an IT security forum - as I am no specialist in this regard ...

I think that we had, and should have, an expectation that security forces of any kind cannot simply browse through our private lives at will - that bored operatives, network specialists, or any other kind of person within their enormous circle of access should not be able to snoop on their neighbours, friends, enemies, drinking buddies, colleagues or people they encounter in life at will.

Now that we know that they can indeed do all of these things, I think it is perfectly justifiable for ALL of us to now opt to go to whatever maximum encryption that is manageable without being wholly inconvenient.

You may as well ask ' .... if you haven't done anything why not let every member of the Garda and any other security force walk in and around your house and explore your rooms, records and computer anytime they feel like dropping by'.

Well it's not acceptable and if encryption is the only way to restore things, then so be it.

FouxDaFaFa

What are people's thoughts on Mailpile?

Could be a while before it's functional but it sounds promising.

Dude111

Anything OPEN SOURCED wont stay secure long!!!! (They will crack it within days most likely)

Piliger

Well the top experts that have written and given interviews in the last few weeks on this have all recommended open access. They have said that all the main commercial applications have trap doors and only open access will offer high level and possibly unbreakable encryption. Your equating of open access to not being secure is not logical.