Why Encrypted E-mail? - Instant Information Versus the Need for Privacy
All electronic messages are sent through a vast system of routers and servers. Some transmissions travel as far as the satellites that orbit the Earth. At any point along this path, e-mail messages can be stored, digital signatures logged, and the contents of private conversations and business transactions can potentially be retrieved, read, and used or abused. In addition, e-mail messages are often logged and may even be stored on backup tapes that are kept for years. Every time an individual sends an e-mail, they trust their messages and privacy to nameless and faceless individuals or organizations that frequently have no concern for privacy or security.
In addition, under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, government agencies no longer require a warrant to read the public’s e-mail. Carnivore, the information-gathering software created by the FBI to combat criminals who utilize the Internet, may be used to read public e-mail. Carnivore is housed in a computer that connects to an Internet Service Provider’s (ISP’s) servers and mines all incoming and outgoing mail for information. The FBI has stated that it intends to use the software to locate and monitor specific e-mail addresses for evidence of criminal activity. In the process of monitoring any account, Carnivore must sift through all available account information on a given server. The objection many privacy advocates, legislators, and the general public have with Carnivore is that the net it casts is too wide. The FBI would have the ability to look through the accounts and e-mail of people not suspected or charged with any crime. Further, the public would have no protection or knowledge of unlawful or accidental seizures of account information.