[Users] secure email providers

[Jerry Seibert]

On Fri, 01 Apr 2022 08:12:33 -0700, lists stated:

>Wouldn't S/MIME make more sense than PGP? Apple supports it. 
>
>I run my own server using Postfix and Dovecot. I would need a guide
>for bone heads on how to set up S/MIME. Certificates are very
>complicated...well for me. 
>
>	  Original Message  	
>
>From: jcrisp at safeandsoundit.co.uk
>Sent: April 1, 2022 5:34 AM
>To: users at lists.claws-mail.org
>Subject: Re: [Users] secure email providers
>
>
>On Thu, 31 Mar 2022 09:27:14 -0000
>Paul <paul at claws-mail.org> wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 31 Mar 2022 11:06:37 +0200
>> John Crisp <jcrisp at safeandsoundit.co.uk> wrote:
>>  
>> > and hence I'd guess low adoption of
>> > PGP, plus the fact it is not simple to set up and maintain,
>> > especially across multiple devices.   
>>
>> In my view, multiple devices might give you a headache,  
>
>Indeed, and most users have more than one method - my wife has at least
>4 - a desktop, two phones and an ipad..... oh, plus laptop, and
>(unusually) another desktop in another office as well!! I have even
>more.
>
>> but aside from that it is simple to set up and maintain.  
>
>I don't believe that is the case for the "average" user.
>
>I always reckon my wife is probably a good average user - not
>particularly IT literate, but with me about she isn't completely left
>behind.
>
>She wouldn't have a chance of maintaining it for any length of time.
>
>She wouldn't understand why when she has lost a key or forgot her
>password all her mail becomes unrecoverable.
>
>And then she has to explain to all her friends and clients, who are far
>less technically literate than her, how to use it.
>
>I'd love to see widespread adoption but realise if it hasn't happened
>now, it probably isn't going to happen at all, especially when certain
>large providers are actively against it. It should be default on every
>client at setup, but it isn't (Outlook.....).
>
>A good indicator is how many signatures you can see even on this list!
>
><sigh>
>
>B. Rgds
>John

A couple of years ago, I had a debate with a few of my friends who use,
to varying degrees, PGP or some derivative of it with their email.

We pretty much agreed with the following:

1. 95% +/- of all personal mail does not require encryption.
2. The degree of use by corporations directly correlates to the
company's policies on sending confidential information.
3. PGP is much harder to configure and maintain than it needs to be.

We all agreed that for PGP to become the norm, Microsoft would have to
adopt it. They would then create an easy-to-use GUI to create and
maintain signatures and embed the application into MS Outlook and every
other app they feel they can leverage it against. We also agreed that
Microsoft has no incentive to do that. I believe the trick would be to
incentivize them.

-- 
Jerry