How Does Encryption Work, and Is It Really Safe?
If you are not familiar with encryption and what it can do to improve your security, you might want to read the new primer on encryption at http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/encryption-care.
Encryption
CIA Sought to Hack Apple iPhones for Nearly a Decade
An interesting article in Entrepreneur shows further illegal activities by the CIA. Efforts to break into Apple products by government security researchers started as early as 2006, a year before Apple introduced its first iPhone and continued through the launch of the iPad in 2010 and beyond. Most of the time, the effort apparently failed.
NSA Director Wants Complete Government Access to All Encrypted Data
NSA director Michael Rogers said Monday the U.S. government should be able to craft a policy that allows the NSA and law enforcement agencies to read all encrypted data whenever they need to. The definition of “whenever they need to” was not given. Asked if the U.S. government should have backdoors to encrypted devices, Rogers said the U.S. government needs to develop a “framework.” Justsecurity.org has a transcript of an […]
AT&T Offers Data Privacy — for a Price
AT&T is installing a very high speed Internet service, called GigaPower, in Austin, Texas and in Kansas City, Missouri. The company plans to add 100 more cities to the new up to 1 gigabit-per-second fiber optic fiber service soon. (See http://goo.gl/Nu81IE for details.) However, customers are offered two different prices. The cheaper service includes an agreement that AT&T will track users as they surf the Web. Customers who want to […]
Obama Says He’s “A Strong Believer In Strong Encryption”
U.S. President Barack Obama spoke with Re/code recently on a variety of topics relating to technology. The talk included the president’s thoughts on encryption, which has been a controversial subject in tech circles lately after government officials (including Obama himself) have publicly complained about default encryption in modern communication tools. In the interview, he says he’s a “strong believer in strong encryption,” adding, “I lean probably further on side of […]
Five Best File Encryption Tools
Alan Henry has published an article of Five Best File Encryption Tools in the LifeHacker web site. He lists programs that will encrypt files on Macintosh, Windows and Linux. All of them are available free of charge. If you want to keep your private files private, read the article at http://lifehacker.com/five-best-file-encryption-tools-5677725.
Department of Justice Fears Automatic Encryption Makes Data Too Safe
Leslie Caldwell, an assistant attorney general at the Justice Department, said Tuesday that the department is “very concerned” by the Google’s and Apple’s decision to automatically encrypt all data on Android and iOS devices. “We understand the value of encryption and the importance of security,” she said. “But we’re very concerned they not lead to the creation of what I would call a ‘zone of lawlessness,’ where there’s evidence that […]
Add Your Own Security for Online Backups
Many security-conscious computer owners question the wisdom and security of backing up files online. In my mind, this is a non-issue. Security is always under your control, if you wish. You can securely place any files on any online storage system if, and only if, you first encrypt the files before sending them from your computer. Luckily, that is easy to do. Once your files are encrypted, nobody can read […]
MegaChat: a Browser-Based, Encrypted Voice and Video Chat App
MegaChat claims to be a secure alternative to Skype, offering browser-based voice and video chat. The application is now available although the first release seems to have a few remaining bugs. The producing company’s background has been controversial, at best. Flamboyant CEO Kim Dotcom (an obvious pseudonym) started with Megaupload. He was soon arrested by New Zealand authorities for encouraging copyright violations. Charges were later dropped. He has since added […]
White House Sides with UK, Wants a Backdoor to Encrypted Data
President Barak Obama has officially come out in support of UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s push for backdoor government access to private encrypted data, and even went so far as to suggest U.S. companies that offer ways to decrypt user data are patriots. The President’s comments follow Mr. Cameron’s push for government access to encrypted emails, and text messages, and it signals a serious threat to our personal privacy. Details […]
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