Chatting in secret while we're all being watched

by
Anonymous Coward
in security on (#G31R)
Micah Lee from The Intercept wants to remind you that all your communications are being spied on, and offers tips on how you can chat securely and anonymously, particularly with journalists, as NSA whistle blower Edward Snowden did. His tips amount to: using Tor, Jabber, and OTR (Off-the-Record messaging), while creating disposable accounts that can't be linked back to you. He includes some specifics for various operating systems, and a number of important tips and caveats, such as:

* Use Tor when you create your chat account, not just when you use it.
* Never login to that account when you're not using Tor.
* Don't choose a user name that might betray your real identity - don't use a pseudonym that you've used in the past. Make up a random user name that doesn't have anything to do with you
* Don't re-use passwords.
* Be aware of which contacts you communicate with from which secret identity accounts.
* Don't give any other identifying information to the chat service.
* Don't use your Tor IP address to login to a chat account that's publicly associated with you.

Re: Or, ya know... (Score: 2, Informative)

by pete@pipedot.org on 2015-08-01 21:38 (#G556)

but even snailmail requires careful attention - fingerprints, handwriting, phrasing -and- printers can be identifiable, in addition to hints given by postmark. of course it all depends on the level of attention you think someone will give to tracking you down...if someone is going to put the effort to find you through the tor network, they're likely to be able to use the above to find you through mail too.
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