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Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying

#31

Post by mahyarm »

001sky wrote: post #19
newman314 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or so they say. I'm not convinced that this is not Google's version of "trust us". Keep in mind there is no PR loss for Google to adopt a pro-encryption stance now. If they are really serious about this, they would a) stop trawling emails and b) help develop tech for seamlessly encrypting both in-flight and at-rest email.

Meanwhile, Google Argues for Right to Continue Scanning Gmail "This company reads, on a daily basis, every email that's submitted, and when I say read, I mean looking at every word to determine meaning," said Texas attorney Sean Rommel, who is co-counsel suing Google. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/google-argues-con... http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_24021944/google-argue...

They have the infrastructure for a fully paid version set up now with being able to buy more space for your google account. Maybe add a client-side encryption option along with no ads. It will make things like server-side search incredibly more difficult although.

Re: Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying

#33

Post by drivebyacct2 »

mpyne wrote: post #13
jmillikin wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Instead of trying to reverse-engineer a proprietary compressed Javascript codebase that changes daily, you should use Thunderbird and Enigmail. http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/ https://www.enigmail.net/

Or just use KMail (which integrates with GnuPG by default) on your shiny open-source Linux or BSD that you're surely using already. :)

No, seriously. If you're even remotely serious about protecting yourself, why would you use a closed source OS?

Re: Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying

#34

Post by magicalist »

001sky wrote: post #19
newman314 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or so they say. I'm not convinced that this is not Google's version of "trust us". Keep in mind there is no PR loss for Google to adopt a pro-encryption stance now. If they are really serious about this, they would a) stop trawling emails and b) help develop tech for seamlessly encrypting both in-flight and at-rest email.

Meanwhile, Google Argues for Right to Continue Scanning Gmail "This company reads, on a daily basis, every email that's submitted, and when I say read, I mean looking at every word to determine meaning," said Texas attorney Sean Rommel, who is co-counsel suing Google. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/google-argues-con... http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_24021944/google-argue...

Why are you posting this shit on HN? Everyone here knows how contextual advertising in gmail works, and excepting those too young to have been aware back then, have known about it since 2004. If you have a point, make it, but scare quotes specifically made to induce an emotional reaction from those without technical knowledge really have no place here.

Re: Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying

#35

Post by mahyarm »

jmillikin wrote: post #8
AceJohnny2 wrote: post #6

Meh. My most importance source of data in Google's control is my email. They aren't doing much to help me protect myself there. My only wish is that they provide a stable hook for tools like Firegpg [1] to encrypt the email's plaintext. Their constant tweaking of the textbox led FireGPG's developers to throw in the towel. I understand that Google wants to read your emails to power their ads. I doubt the fraction of p…

Instead of trying to reverse-engineer a proprietary compressed Javascript codebase that changes daily, you should use Thunderbird and Enigmail. http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/ https://www.enigmail.net/

What is the practical option for mobile devices? Everything I've found on iOS & Android is absolute awkward shit.

Re: Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying

#37

Post by rgbrenner »

sjbach wrote: post #4

A salient bit: [Eric] Grosse echoed comments from other Google officials, saying that the company resists government surveillance and has never weakened its encryption systems to make snooping easier — as some companies reportedly have, according to the Snowden documents detailed by the Times and the Guardian on Thursday. “This is a just a point of personal honor,” Grosse said. “It will not happen here.” Some folks a…

has never weakened its encryption systems to make snooping easier

Up until today, Google didn't even encrypt the data. So it's kind of hard to weaken something you weren't even using.

And then to go on to equate it as a "personal honor".. you've got to be kidding me.

Re: Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying

#38

Post by [deleted] »

Zigurd wrote: post #5

> Encrypting information flowing among data centers will not make it impossible for intelligence agencies to snoop on individual users of Google services, nor will it have any effect on legal requirements that the company comply with court orders or valid national security requests for data. How does this do anything about pervasive NSA spying? The NSA has broken SSL and VPNs by corrupting the CAs and the VPN vendors…

[deleted]

Re: Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying

#39

Post by eksith »

sjbach wrote: post #4

A salient bit: [Eric] Grosse echoed comments from other Google officials, saying that the company resists government surveillance and has never weakened its encryption systems to make snooping easier — as some companies reportedly have, according to the Snowden documents detailed by the Times and the Guardian on Thursday. “This is a just a point of personal honor,” Grosse said. “It will not happen here.” Some folks a…

Well, it reflects well on Google that they say this, but in the end, the only "truly secure" host is one that cannot decrypt your data even when compelled to do so.

Bottom line is, if a capability exists, it can be exercised, willingly or not, coerced or through oversight. Anyone willing to put data in the cloud should be conscious of this no matter what the provider says.

Re: Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying

#40

Post by magicalist »

zmmmmm wrote: post #24

My main reaction to this was, ummm, wait - google isn't already encrypting its data internally?! -- off topic rant -- Such a weird discontinuity in all this ... Google was prosecuted and paid a fine, despite self-disclosing, falling on its own sword and issuing an abject apology, for accidentally sniffing some unencrypted data as they drove past. This was condemned at every level by government. Now the government is…

Well, to be fair, it's not really the same people at the NSA looking at captured data who were doing the condemning. OTOH, you have senior administration members saying that they don't spy on Americans, when of course they do, or senior German administration officials outraged at the NSA's behavior, when of course they were participating all along.

I really don't know how much of it is self delusion, how much of it is just perfectly logical mental gymnastics from their perspective, and how much is just the "this is what we have to do, even if it doesn't match what's in the law" perspective on display in the nytimes piece.

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