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August 2003 Newsletter:
Encryption

I wonder the reason most persons allow every email to be delivered as a postcard available for every interested person (with the know-how) to read. A postcard not only shows the message, it also shows the sender and receiver.

With a postal postcard, the sender has the option of not making available a specific return address. Looking at the post office markings, anyone during transit can read the contents and know where the postal postcard generally originated.

With an email, the sender can disguise the originating information if they know how. Most of us just want to communicate with others. We don't need to pretend to be someone else.

When a person receives a postal postcard, that IS the postcard. There are no copies archived in  a vault somewhere. If someone knows how, an email you sent two years ago can not only be retrieved but also sent to whomever in unlimited numbers. Chances of this happening to you are indeed almost non-existent. You probably have a better chance at winning the once-in-a-lifetime lottery. But, the extreme remote possibility is there to every email user.

What we fail to recognize is that persons using the tool of the computer for not so honorable goals can randomly collect personal information from emails we send like our internet protocol address or our mail configuration. What can someone do with this information?

Encryption turns your email from a postal postcard into a sealed postal letter, sometimes even hiding the sender's information. The "extra click" of your mouse before sending an email will provide you with one more layer of protection against cybercriminals and identity thieves.

 Keeping your family safe online and in the everyday world will help your community, state, and country stay safer.

Refer to the Safety Guide for a quick review about internet safety.