Encrypted Email Please
Its time for real, serious email encryption.
Most people don’t know that just about everything that they email is sent as clear text. This is readily read by hackers at public hotspots, and by the NSA and by anybody in the communications link. For example, Verizon is pretty clearly reading email contents (my opinion).
There was a proposed standard for encrypting emails 25 years ago. But the person in charge of that worked for the US Navy, and he was reassigned. The project was then dropped. (Later on, he reemerged as a member of the IETF.)
So, today, email is still completely insecure. This is an amazing, crazy irresponsible situation.
Because the content of emails is not encrypted, you can’t be emailed such things as:
-Medical information or communications with your doctor.
-Bills, invoices and statements, or any banking information.
-Tax information.
-Anything confidential.
As a result, you need to log into silly “MyChart” websites with your healthcare provider just so you can use a hideous proprietary web based email system that can ONLY talk to this one correspondent.
Every month you have to log into every bank account, every credit card account, just to see your bill and balances.
If we had email encryption, your life would be easier and safer. You wouldn’t need all of these proprietary web-based mail systems. And, you could so simple things like send emails to your doctor.
It is time for email encryption.