[e-privacy] Hushmail turns out to be anything but

[Andrea Glorioso]

http://www.itnews.com.au/News/65213,hushmail-turns-out-to-be-anything-but.aspx

Hushmail turns out to be anything but
By Iain Thomson
16 November 2007 02:47PM

A court document in a drug smuggling case has shown that the private
email service Hushmail has been cooperating with police in handing
over user emails..

Hushmail claims to offer unreadable email as it uses PGP encryption
technology and a company specific key management system that it says
will ensure only the sender and recipient can read the emails. However
it seems the Canadian company has been divulging keys to the American
authorities.

The document describes the tracking of an anabolic steroid
manufacturer who was being investigated by the Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA). The document alleges that the majority of those
engaged in the trade in anabolic steroids use Hushmail to communicate.

The DEA agents received three CDs of decrypted emails which contained
decrypted emails for the targets of the investigation that had been
decrypted as part of a mutual legal assistance treaty between the
United States and Canada.

The news will be embarrassing to the company, which has made much of
its ability to ensure that emails are not read by the authorise,
including the FBI's Carnivore email monitoring software.

"Hushmail's security cannot be broken or weakened by this government
sponsored snooping software," the company states.

"The only way to decrypt or unscramble Hush messages is by using your
passphrase when you open up your Hushmail account. Carnivore cannot
decrypt your mail, and is therefore, powerless against messages sent
between Hush users."

Copyright © 2007 vnunet.com

--
      Andrea Glorioso || http://people.digitalpolicy.it/sama/cv/
          M: +32-488-409-055         F: +39-051-930-31-133
  "Italy is a nation of octogenarian lawmakers elected by 70-year-old 
     pensioners. Everyone else is unconsequential" (Bernhard Warner)
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