Thursday, June 12, 2014

We're glad you liked Email Self-Defense. Let's take it farther.

Last Thursday was a big day for defending our freedom and privacy on the Internet. The FSF and its supporters joined the ranks of thousands for Reset the Net, the biggest-ever day of action against bulk surveillance. All in all, it was a whopping success, with major Web sites commiting to improve their security and more than thirty thousand people visiting the FSF's brand-new Email Self-Defense guide.

The Email Self-Defense guide, along with its infographic, made the rounds on reddit, Boing Boing, Slashdot, and Hacker News, and we think it's likely to become one of the Web's most popular guides to email encryption. It's also a powerful vector for the free software message, emphasizing the importance of computer user freedom for security more than other prominent guides.

We want to promote tools like this guide in-person and online, to help as many people as possible learn to protect themselves using free software. Can you help us by joining the FSF as a member (if you aren't already), or donating $25?

If you're not able to donate, you can still get people learning about free software encryption by sharing the infographic with the hashtag #EmailSelfDefense. If you're a fan of any encryption and privacy-related Web sites, email them and ask them to link to the guide. Most of all, you can make a point of using encryption yourself whenever possible -- even for messages that aren't sensitive.

We're excited about all the offers we've received to translate the guide and infographic. Stay tuned for versions in a variety of languages coming soon.

We've also gotten a lot of feedback on Email Self-Defense, and we see that people are rightfully excited about this project. Here are some of our favorite comments:

"I haven't found a guide that's anywhere near this approachable for people scared of technology, and the infographic is also ace."
- an anonymous supporter

"This is our opportunity to get my less-techy friends using encryption, while showing them why free software is important. Right on, FSF."
- a Slashdot commenter

Thanks to these commenters, and everyone in the free software community who participated in Reset the Net. Your actions give us hope for a future free of suspicionless bulk surveillance. And free software is going to be a big part of that future. Please join us as a member, or donate today.

Zak Rogoff
Campaigns Manager
Free Software Foundation

--

Follow us on GNU social | Subscribe to our blogs via RSS | Join us as an associate member

Sent from the Free Software Foundation,


No comments:

Post a Comment

The Open Source Web Hosting company