Privacy Software

If you want to keep your work private, encryption is essential. So are firewalls and virus checkers [see Software Sources for those ]. Here are my choices in a wicked world.

PGP
PGP is short for Pretty Good Privacy and the name tells you what you need to know. PGP keeps your email private from any one prying. The American Government was so pleased by this approach to keeping speech free and private that they tried to put the author, Phil Zimmermann in prison.

The effectiveness is all that you need unless a major nation's government is after you. Version 6.5.8 is the last which came with publicly available source code. This means that it can be checked by anyone who can read C or C++. Later versions are not always trusted by the sincerely paranoid. The price/performance ratio is satisfactory. Phil gave it to us for free. Later versions can cost you money.

It turns out that Robert Hanssen, an American traitor used PGP to send messages to the KGB but they could not cope with this level of sophistication back in 1985. He is doing life.

 

ftp://ftp.zedz.net/pub/crypto/pgp/pgp60/pgp658_ckt/ is a source for PGP variants. Get 6.5.8 from 658-IMAD.EXE and the source code form pgp658ckt05s.zip

Quicksilver
If you want to send email anonymously QS is the answer. It encrypts your message using PGP and sends it to an anonymous remailer. There a layer of encryption is stripped off and it is sent on to the next remailer where another layer is stripped off. It then goes to its final destination. This is a high degree of anonymity. It is possible to add in more remailers but the reliability falls. It depends on how important it is to you and any potential adversaries. You send multiple copies automatically. Three legs and three copies gives good anonymity and fairly good reliability.

 

Skype Security
Use your computer as a phone with Skype. Is it secure? It does have encryption. It could implemented properly. It must be to work properly. Some one has an insider's view.

 

Spybot Search and Destroy
Search & Destroy gets rid of spyware and being free has to be worth every penny. They invite you to donate to help with development. Recommended. They link to other sites. Look and learn.

Hestia Security
Hestia also does free software.

 

Javacool Software Blaster
SpywareBlaster 3.2 is popular

Spyware Doctor 2.1
QUOTE
This top-rated spyware remover includes a superfast scanning engine, real-time OnGuard protection, and an advanced immunization system. Remove infections for free.

UNQUOTE from download.com

Computer Security
This is advice from a real expert. Bruce Schneier wrote the book.