Well that would be enough for me… 

But how do you know the government doesn’t like it?  :wink:

The fact that it is an open source software weakens it.  If someone made a backup of your hard drive, found out which version of PGP you were using, and looked around for the code for that version, they could find a hole and easily exploit it.  Open-source in this case has both some good and some bad, don’t you think?  :|

Someone could find security-hole for the PGP program it self. But not the encryption algorithms used to encrypt the data. These have not been broken/cracked yet, so the data would still be safe.

In the case of encryption, an open-source model would be more trusted than a closed-source one. If a company says that they’re closed-source software is secure, with no back doors or master keys into encrypted data, how could they prove it? They can’t. You’d just have to take their word for it. But if it was open-source, the code could be inspected by the public to solidify their claims, thereby gain the users trust.

O well thats all kool now I know I can trust it.

[quote author=“OnMyWayUp”]Well that would be enough for me… 

But how do you know the government doesn’t like it?  :wink:

The program PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) was initially published by Phil Zimmermann in 1991, in response to U.S. Senate Bill 266 which was designed to force manufacturers of secure communications to provide a “back-door” by which the U.S. government would be able to read those communications. The Bill was ultimately defeated, but PGP was born.

The rest of the article, Google for more:

http://www.lugod.org/presentations/pgp/history.html

I use the following for data protection.  Works without a flaw:

In our continuing goal to help our customers protect their data, I am pleased to announce that ProtectIT Data Management Inc. has become an authorized dealer for Krickit Encryption Keyâ„¢.

Stolen laptops, Identity Theft, computer hackers, Privacy legislation are all a growing concern. Perfect for the laptop user that needs to protect their data while travelling or anyone concerned with protecting their business or client data. Krickit uses a simple USB key that allows access to your data while plugged into your computer and blocks all access when you unplug it.

Krickitware’s USB Krickit Encryption Key™ uses 256 Bit RC6 encryption.

The Krickit Encryption Keyâ„¢ is:

• A removable device that plugs into any USB port of any Windows based computer.

• More than a “password key”, the Krickit Encryption Key™ provides user validation and real time encryption of designated files

• Easy to use and fully automatic. The Krickit Encryption Key(tm) runs in the background and controls authentication through Windows logon.

• A flexible, versatile solution for single and multi-user environments.

• “Virtually unbreakable” You have your choice of advanced encryption ciphers. The key, with the advanced ciphers, exceeds the latest industry standards.

The Key will…

• Protect your critical data

• Keep your data safe! Your data - once encrypted - becomes indecipherable without your matching Krickit Encryption Key(tm)

• Protect files, folders, partitions. Users can choose to encrypt individual files, entire folders, or partitions

Send encrypted e-mail attachments using PKI (Public Key) infrastructure

• Protect external drives. The key can lock both CD-ROM or floppy drives so that operation without the key in place is impossible

• Automatically encrypt files. The key is designed to encrypt new files, changed files, or copied files automatically

• Lock down software applications. Krickit will even deny access to software programs by encrypting executable files.

Krikit works beautifully with our Online Backup service and gives your business complete protection against data loss and theft.

ProtectIT Data Management Inc.
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
http://www.protectIT.ca

1-888-594-7048

“Protect your data… Protect your business.”

[quote author=“dbs”][quote author=“OnMyWayUp”]Well that would be enough for me… 

But how do you know the government doesn’t like it?  :wink:

The program PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) was initially published by Phil Zimmermann in 1991, in response to U.S. Senate Bill 266 which was designed to force manufacturers of secure communications to provide a “back-door” by which the U.S. government would be able to read those communications. The Bill was ultimately defeated, but PGP was born.

The rest of the article, Google for more:

http://www.lugod.org/presentations/pgp/history.html

Kool… never knew that… then again i was only 1 year old when that was happening.  :wink:

[quote author=“OnMyWayUp”]

Kool… never knew that… then again i was only 1 year old when that was happening.  :wink:

A lot of people have been fighting for a lot of years to keep government out of our data and from gestapo tactics on the internet.

http://www.eff.org

In his day, Phil was a “cause celebre’”