You may have heard that the the NSA (National Security Agency) and GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) have been intercepting phone and internet communications and collecting data to profile people across the world. They have also been scraping through user data stored by many US companies.
In response to this privacy intrusion, a coalition of companies, organisations, and individuals are participating in a mass Internet security drive they’ve called Reset the Net.
“The NSA is exploiting weak links in Internet security to spy on the entire world, twisting the Internet we love into something it was never meant to be: a panopticon,” the Reset the Web website states.
“We can’t stop targeted attacks, but we can stop mass surveillance, by building proven security into the everyday Internet.”
The plan was to get hundreds of sites and apps to adopt proven security measures such as SSL, and then today (5 June 2014) run a splash screen everywhere to spread “NSA-resistant” privacy tools.
Swedish indie game developer Mojang, best-known for its smash hit Minecraft, has also come out in support of the campaign.
Mojang explains why gamers should care, in terms they can relate to.
The internet is a great thing, but the idea of companies operating closely with the government and giving away private data without consent is extremely worrying.
It’s a bit like someone accessing your Minecraft server, poking about in your chests, and reading all your chat logs without you knowing, only potentially more damaging (hard to believe – I know).
Privacy tools for phones
Reset the Net advocates the use of a number of privacy-enhancing tools for mobile devices and PCs as part of its “Privacy Pack”.
The table below summarises the tools Reset the Net participants are told to install on their phones:
| Reset the Net Privacy pack: phones | ||
| Software | Description | Links |
| ChatSecure | ChatSecure gives you secure chat with Google and XMPP users. | Google Play iTunes App Store |
| TextSecure | TextSecure is strong, easy-to-use protection for your text messages. | Google Play iTunes App Store (later) |
| RedPhone | Strong privacy for your phone calls, whenever you need it. | Google Play iTunes App Store (later) |
Software to better protect your privacy on PC is also available, with Reset the Net advocating for the following tools in particular:
| Reset the Net Privacy Pack: PCs | ||
| Software | Description | Links |
| Adium (Mac) | Encrypted chats for Facebook, Google, Duck Duck Go, and more. | Mac download |
| Pidgin (Windows / Linux) | Encrypted chats for Facebook, Google, Duck Duck Go, and more. | Windows, Linux download |
| Tor | Tor prevents people from learning your location or browsing habits. | Windows, Mac, Linux download |
As part of the drive, Reset the Net is also encouraging participants to secure their passwords by not using the same password everywhere.
To remember your unique passwords they suggest using a tool like MasterPassword, or writing them down and keeping them where you keep other valuable pieces of paper — your wallet.
Reset the Net also encouraged the use of 2-factor authentication where available.
Many South African banks use a one-time PIN delivered to your cellphone as a second factor of authentication. Similar systems have also been adopted by Google, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, Dropbox, and other services and is often available to South Africans as well.
Additional reporting by MyBroadband.
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I think by default everything we are doing should be encrypted these days, both from the govs and criminals.
Anyone see the crap with Truecrypt recently?