Jillian, Frank, and others have really hit the nail on the head. After twenty-one years in production, why do so few people use PGP to encrypt their emails? It isn't because of lack of care, or lack of trying, but because the software is not intended for average people to use. This seems a failure on so many levels. PGP/GPG should be in use by *everyone* in conflict zones, by *everyone* living in China, by *everyone* who is concerned about censorship. But it isn't.
This morning I received an email where someone had quoted my original email to them. The email that I sent them was encrypted. The email they sent me was unencrypted. While we can laugh and joke about it, we only have that luxury because the contents don't put anyone in danger. People in abusive relationships, for example, do not have that luxury. A mis-step for them could lead to beatings, rape, or having to flee their homes. There's a lot of talk about "The Next Crypto War," but I think that's bullshit. The greatest threat to crypto doesn't come from state actors, but from the total absence of any kind of usability. And, for the most part, people don't care about usability. If no one's using your software, then The Crypto War is already forfeit. Bottom line. It's time to start talking to the true stakeholders and asking them what solutions THEY WANT, how existing solutions can be made better FOR THEM. Everything works "in the lab," but what happens in real-world situations with average users? TAILS fails out-of-the-box for the majority of users who test it. Not because it is terrible software, but because it's unintuitive for average users. Awkward dinners aside, this conversation is awesome. Best to everyone, Griffin Boyce On Tue, Aug 7, 2012 at 1:19 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: > Hey guys, > > I appreciate the importance and depth of this discussion. But I also wish > to underscore that most of the people who are at risk are not using any > tools whether they be CrytoCat, PGP, GChat or others for the simple reason > that they either cannot figure them out, or don't have time to figure them > out, or both. And I am talking about people at risk in many different > nations. > -- "I believe that usability is a security concern; systems that do not pay close attention to the human interaction factors involved risk failing to provide security by failing to attract users." ~Len Sassaman PGP Key etc: https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/User:Fontaine
_______________________________________________ liberationtech mailing list [email protected] Should you need to change your subscription options, please go to: https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech If you would like to receive a daily digest, click "yes" (once you click above) next to "would you like to receive list mail batched in a daily digest?" You will need the user name and password you receive from the list moderator in monthly reminders. You may ask for a reminder here: https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech Should you need immediate assistance, please contact the list moderator. Please don't forget to follow us on http://twitter.com/#!/Liberationtech
