Security of Email Communication

[John Simkin]

A group of left-wing activists, including several investigative journalists, have joined a lawsuit seeking a ban on a domestic spy program authorized by President George Bush. It is claimed that the CIA is listening to their telephone calls and reading their emails.

I think it is possible that those people who criticize the CIA on this Forum are having their emails intercepted. Over the last few weeks I have received information from hotmail that some of my emails to fellow investigators have been “delayed” and have not reached their destination. Yesterday, I received a PM on this Forum that they have been receiving the same message when they have tried to email me via their hotmail account.

Is it possible that some people’s emails are being redirected so that they can be read by the intelligence services before they are delivered to the intended person?

For some time I have been aware that my emails to Philip Agee have not been arriving. However, he lives in Cuba so I assumed that the CIA was blocking these emails. Is it now happening in America?

[Derek McMillan]

I understand that GPG or PGP encryption will prevent the CIA et al from reading your emails, unless the extensive attempts to ban PGP were an elaborate double bluff.

They can also break PGP encryption by "breaking" the person to whom you send the message of course.

It is also the case that the security services will deliberately let people know their mail/phone calls are being intercepted as a way to "tell them who is boss".