Did you know that the encryption software you may be using is classified as a weapon by your government? Well, if you’re a citizen of the United States, it’s sad but true. The exporting of some types of encryption software may be illegal in the United States. Never mind that these tools have been widely available internationally for years. The use of strong cryptography, like PGP, in America—by the citizenry—is perfectly legal. At least for now. Trying to stop the flow of information is like trying to push a river.
If you want to conduct business over the Internet or transfer sensitive information to your friends and associates, encryption software is a vital and necessary tool. And of all the encryption software available, Phil Zimmerman’s Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), now published by Network Associates, Inc., is among the most powerful and widely used. Best of all, the price is right. PGP is distributed for noncommercial individual use free of charge. Commercial users are required to purchase the software. The commercial product for individual use is identical to the freeware version with the addition of technical support and a commercial use license. No technical support is provided for the freeware version of PGP.
PGP allows you to communicate securely with people you’ve never even met. If you find that unimportant, I’d invite you to think for a moment about the amount of information you transfer across unsecured channels that could do serious damage if it was intercepted by the right (or wrong) person.
Important: Under no circumstances should you ever disclose your private key to anyone else. Don’t worry, it’s virtually impossible to accidentally disclose your private key.
