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Comment by maerF0x0 | Hacker News Reader

NSA will start to deposit the cash you send, its just "Metadata"

I understand the attempt to farm karma by mentioning the NSA in every single unrelated thread, I'm just surprised that this is the best that you could do. Surely there's a better story to be told in monitoring financial transactions (which they actually do) than in pretending that they're going to steal the $8 you sent to your buddy for beer.

The guy was just trying to be funny. The NSA stuff will clear up on its own.

Actually, I think that "better story" is that we cannot and should not entrust proprietary and closed systems with our vital information. Just like how "security through obscurity" has long ago been proven untrue, so too should we stop using non-free software to do our tasks, especially highly important ones with sensitive data.

I'm not sure the source of your frustration. The idea was to be funny and hint at the fact that email is not that secure. I wouldnt feel secure sending more than $8 on this platform... How am I to know that my email (or packets as part of the transmission) are 1) Encrypted, 2) Not tampered with 3) From whom they claim to be from.

email guarantees none of those traits 1. Encryption from server to server is optional, 2. Who knows how many MXs are hit until it finally makes it to my mailserver 3. Mailservers have know authentication mechanisms that ensure someone cannot send mail on my behalf.

Yes, well configured mail servers will make attempts at these things through SSL/TLS connections, doing direct connections only (no proxies/relays) and by only accepting mail from servers listed as MX servers or with SPF records etc.

Thanks for the -4pts.

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