Google's Backdoor Access System into Gmail Accounts • Hacker News Board

Re: Google's Backdoor Access System into Gmail Accounts

#11

Post by daniel1980fl » Mon, May 02, 2011, 4:07 PM UTC

hvs wrote: post #9

pragmatic wrote: post #5

Could anyone recommend a hosted email service that does not allow spying on users? Alternatively I wonder what Bruce Schneier recommends? Do you have to host your own email server?

Under U.S. laws, providers are often required to give information to the government if they have a warrant. If you want (more) security, host it yourself.

question: wouldnt your ISP capture all traffic and "log it" on the run, so if you have your own mailserver, government can still ask ISP to get them your traffic packets? -- AFAIK mail runs in plain text over the net, right?

Re: Google's Backdoor Access System into Gmail Accounts

#12

Post by adnam » Mon, May 02, 2011, 4:10 PM UTC

pragmatic wrote: post #5

Could anyone recommend a hosted email service that does not allow spying on users? Alternatively I wonder what Bruce Schneier recommends? Do you have to host your own email server?

Yes: sdf.lonestar.org. Been running since 1987.

Re: Google's Backdoor Access System into Gmail Accounts

#13

Post by known » Mon, May 02, 2011, 4:17 PM UTC

Since Gmail is free, you're the product Google is selling.

Re: Google's Backdoor Access System into Gmail Accounts

#14

Post by bhousel » Mon, May 02, 2011, 4:32 PM UTC

pragmatic wrote: post #5

Could anyone recommend a hosted email service that does not allow spying on users? Alternatively I wonder what Bruce Schneier recommends? Do you have to host your own email server?

You could pgp encrypt anything that you really don't to be read in transit. Short of that, you might as well assume that your emails are being read and stored by third parties.

Even if you personally use the most secure email server in the world, it doesn't matter because everyone that you send email to or from is likely using hosted services like gmail, verizon, hotmail, etc.

Re: Google's Backdoor Access System into Gmail Accounts

#15

Post by lawnchair_larry » Mon, May 02, 2011, 4:36 PM UTC

adnam wrote: post #12

pragmatic wrote: post #5

Could anyone recommend a hosted email service that does not allow spying on users? Alternatively I wonder what Bruce Schneier recommends? Do you have to host your own email server?

Yes: sdf.lonestar.org. Been running since 1987.

Haha, and a top contender for the record of having the most independent backdoors at a given time.

If you want privacy, the last place to host your email is on a shared shell box (especially a free one).

Re: Google's Backdoor Access System into Gmail Accounts

#16

Post by pstuart » Mon, May 02, 2011, 4:36 PM UTC

known wrote: post #13

Since Gmail is free, you're the product Google is selling.

For ads, fine. That was the deal from the very beginning.

Re: Google's Backdoor Access System into Gmail Accounts

#17

Post by mgrouchy » Mon, May 02, 2011, 4:44 PM UTC

Unless you host your own email, I assume that even without this specific backdoor built in google would have little trouble getting at the email they host.

This is not necessarily bothering to me, or unexpected for hosted services.

Re: Google's Backdoor Access System into Gmail Accounts

#18

Post by andrewcooke » Mon, May 02, 2011, 4:49 PM UTC

pragmatic wrote: post #5

Could anyone recommend a hosted email service that does not allow spying on users? Alternatively I wonder what Bruce Schneier recommends? Do you have to host your own email server?

i host my own server, but the best i found - about a year ago when i looked into this - was a norwegian company called runbox http://www.runbox.com/

their support was also friendly, helpful, and technically clued up when i discussed some issues (i didn't go with them in the end because i've hosted my own email before, know how to do it, and decided it wasn't worth paying anyone else).

[edit: to be clear, not only do i have more faith in the impartiality and openness of a scandinavian govt than the usa, there's an advantage in simply not using a host in your own country, imho.

also, running your own server isn't hard. with opensuse, for example, it's pretty much just a case of (1) clicking the right options in yast and (2) configuring getmail to pull your email from your isp. although to get something anywhere close to gmail in functionality you also need to understand (and use) procmail and mairix. then you need a client - i use mutt over ssh, but you can also install a webmail soln like squirrelmail if you want.]

Re: Google's Backdoor Access System into Gmail Accounts

#19

Post by jganetsk » Mon, May 02, 2011, 4:49 PM UTC

mgrouchy wrote: post #17

Unless you host your own email, I assume that even without this specific backdoor built in google would have little trouble getting at the email they host. This is not necessarily bothering to me, or unexpected for hosted services.

The backdoor would not be for Google, but for US intelligence.

Re: Google's Backdoor Access System into Gmail Accounts

#20

Post by SageRaven » Mon, May 02, 2011, 4:50 PM UTC

Not that I think this would truly help (they probably replicate all inbound/outbound mail to some vast pool for statistical analysis), but is there an automated way to delete all mail from one's Gmail account? I use fetchmail to remove mail from my inbox and manage it on my workstation, but must periodically log on via the web interface and go to my "All Mail" folder and do a manual select and delete.