Setting up and using bitmessage software#
Setting up and using bitmessage series#

In the future, encryption could become mainstream, with governments racing to catch up with ever-faster supercomputers. There are many useful tools for anonymous internet browsing, sending encrypted chat, securing phone calls, and thwarting cell phone tracking. Of course Bitmessage is not the only encryption application you can use. A detailed guide to installing and using Bitmessage can be found here. Like Bitcoin, websites could be developed to integrate Bitmessage and provide interesting statistics about the network while mobile applications and QR codes could reduce the effort required in dealing with 36 character long addresses.

Setting up and using bitmessage software#

However, the growing threat of government surveillance and recent advances in hardware and software could make wide adoption more likely. In the past, technical expertise has posed barriers for wide adoption of encryption technology. Tools such as Bitmessage could become much more popular in the near future. Analysis of metadata, or non-content data, can reveal much more than the content itself. This feature can be especially useful considering that the National Security Agency is collecting vast amounts of metadata from Verizon. As a result, Bitmessage hides the identity of the original sender and recipient. Instead, each userвЂ™s client will attempt to decrypt each message using previously generated private keys if it is successful then the message was meant for that user. Users do not know the intended recipient of messages. New messages are forwarded throughout the network, thus distributing all messages to all users running the software. Instead, each userвЂ™s client/software forms incoming and outgoing connections with a limited number of random clients. Bitmessage, similar to Bitcoin, runs on a decentralized distributed network, meaning that messages do not run through a central server. Instead of email addresses and passwords, users can generate 36 character addresses along with public keys (encryption keys) and private keys (decryption keys). Bitmessage allows users to send and receive encrypted messages. To offer an example, weвЂ™ll examine Bitmessage, a peer-to-peer communications protocol. Encrypted data is similarly decrypted using a decryption algorithm and a decryption key.

Setting up and using bitmessage series#

The algorithm then applies its complex series of mathematical operations, potentially altered by the key, to the data.

If the government cannot protect its own secrets, why trust it to protect yours?ДЇirst, an encryption algorithm takes two inputs, the data to be encrypted and usually an encryption key. ItвЂ™s not hard to imagine far less honorable government employees abusing their power for criminal gain. As Snowden admitted in his interview with Glenn Greenwald, it would have been quite lucrative for him to sell data to foreign intelligence agencies. A concentration of sensitive information is a treasure-trove for malicious hackers.Д®ven if the government thwarts all external attacks, consider how much data was available to leakers like Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden.

As a result, the Feds can easily access that data without a warrant by requesting it through a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) request or National Security Letter (NSL).Д¬entralized data storage means you are always at riskД«ut what if someone has nothing to hide from the government? The NSAвЂ™s strategy of massive data mining and indefinite storage in centralized data centers still leaves many areas for concern. email, social networks, voice calls) operate through central service providers that store records of all user activity. Why? Consider the extent of NSA surveillance that was highlighted in the mid 2010s. Anyone who uses the internet should consider using strong encryption to safeguard personal information and private communications.