Planning on signing up for Protonmail - Encrypted Email?

[Southern Presbyterian]

What would be the advantages or disadvantages of encrypted email for the average email user?

https://protonmail.com/blog/protonmail-launch-worldwide/

 

[Edward]

Disadvantage is you may be targeting yourself for the government. Another disadvantage - it may make things more difficult/complicated for the recipient.

Depending on the contents of a particular email, it might either be a good idea, or a waste of energy.

If security is only needed occasionally, you might encrypt a document and then send it as an attachment to an unencrypted email. If you regularly need to send ss numbers, bank account information, or other info best kept confidential, using an encrypted program might make sense.

 

[Covenant Joel]

I highly recommend using either ProtonMail or another current alternative: TutaNota. I have accounts with both.

It's simple to communicate with non-ProtonMail/Tuta users. You just send a normal email. But if you want end-to-end encryption with them, you can set an agreed upon password in your email to them.

TutaNota has folders, which ProtonMail does not yet have. ProtonMail, however, enables PGP encryption, so you can have Facebook notifications, e.g., encrypted. TutaNota is planning on having encrypted calendars and contacts as well, which I'm a fan of.

Bottom line, I highly recommend using one of them. I like TutaNota's current features better, but ProtonMail might be as good or better in the end.

 

[Southern Presbyterian]

I just can't think of any communication that I'd need to send on an everyday type basis that would even need to be encrypted. I really try to follow the "if it's private and or sensitive it doesn't belong online" rule. To me that should serve the average individual very well.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

James,

While I might have agreed with you 5 years ago I have my increasing doubts about what kind of conversations need to be "private and sensitive". I just don't know how much longer it will be until there is a general crackdown against those who violate cultural orthodoxy.

 

[Southern Presbyterian]

I just don't know how much longer it will be until there is a general crackdown against those who violate cultural orthodoxy.

I totally agree on this, Rich. The day will be soon. But to me these matters speak more to personal testimony than they do to secret things. The day is surly coming when any true Christian will not be able to interact with daily life situations without marking themselves out as a subversive of one sort or another. You truly cannot hide the True Light under a bushel.

I'm still think of encryption as being necessary for preventing the theft of personal information; not in terms of clandestine communication of one's beliefs or keeping secrets from the thought police, which is the impression that I get from reading up on such email services.