PGP (Pretty Good Privacy^®) is a computer program that encrypts (scrambles) and decrypts (unscrambles) data.

For example, PGP can encrypt the text "Private" so that it reads "qANQR1DBwU4DB". You can then send this garble to someone else with PGP who can then decrypt the garble so it reads "Private" again.

Programs based on the PGP standard are known as being OpenPGP compliant. (Return to the previous page.)

People who value privacy use PGP. Without PGP, sending email over the Internet is like using a postcard for all your intimate correspondence. PGP is the envelope that protects your sensitive information from prying eyes. More accurately it is a secure safe, or vault, for data that cannot be easily opened even by the brute force available to intelligence agencies.

According to PGP Corporation, as of February 2005, 90% of the Fortune 100, and 75% of the Forbes International 100 use PGP.

Politicians running election campaigns, taxpayers storing IRS records, therapists protecting clients' files, entrepreneurs guarding trade secrets, journalists protecting their sources, and people seeking romance are a few of the law abiding citizens who use PGP to keep their computer files and their e-mail confidential.

The September 11th hijackers for example, did NOT use encryption:

"...it is clear that far from being a sophisticated operation using false identities, elaborate cover stories, uncrackable encryption and the highest of technology, the hijack assault was an extremely low tech mission.

The hijackers used their own names, public web terminals, frequent flier identifiers, and unencrypted e-mail messages to keep in touch.

"We are all focusing on this as a very hi-tech war, whereas the terrorists are using very low-tech means," said Brian Gladman, former technical director at Nato, and now an advisor to the net thinktank the Foundation for Information Policy Research (Fipr)."

Private eavesdroppers can easily read your private email communications like a postcard if you use unencrypted email like AOL, Microsoft's Hotmail, Yahoo!^® Mail, or Google's Gmail.

They simply snoop in on the Internet connection between your computer and the email server. They can do this from a distance, with tools easily available on the Internet and useable without specialist technical knowledge.

An additional reason to use PGP is the ECHELON system run by the United States National Security Agency (NSA) in co-operation with other government agencies around the world.

ECHELON works by indiscriminately intercepting all worldwide email, fax, telex and phone communications and then siphoning out what is valuable using artificial intelligence aids to find key words.

This means that YOUR wholly innocent emails, faxes (or transcripts of phone conversations) could be appearing on some spook's desk at any time without your knowledge. There is no Congressional or other oversight of this system and the spooks are beginning to use it to steal commercial secrets. Don't believe us? Read this article from the BBC:

"Computer users across Europe should encrypt all their e-mails, to avoid being spied on by a UK-US eavesdropping network, say Euro-MPs.

They conclude that ECHELON - whose existence is not officially acknowledged - is reading millions of e-mails and faxes sent every day by ordinary people.

"The ECHELON network... is used to pry on individuals and companies."

Privacy is a right. Take back your privacy with MailVault.

MailVault has four main benefits over vanilla PGP:

1. It is much easier to use.

There is no special software to install on your computer, you just need a standard Internet browser. OpenPGP has been built into MailVault from the start so the key creation, encryption and decryption functions do not work as if they have been added as an afterthought.

2. You can access your encrypted email (and files) from anywhere.

As MailVault is Web based, you can send and receive encrypted e-mail from any location, not just your own computer at home. Non-encrypted e-mail messages can also be written and sent easily and quickly.

3. Your email and files are stored on secure offshore servers.

Encryption keys, email messages, and files are stored on distributed offshore servers. This means that they are secure from seizure by hostile persons or snooping government agencies.

4. Total PGP interoperability.

Unlike other web-based email programs you have total interoperability with all versions of PGP*. You can exchange encrypted messages with any PGP owner - they don't have to have a MailVault account.

Think of Microsoft^®'s Hotmail^TM or Google^TM's Gmail^TM, move it offshore, add secure encryption** and you are pretty close to the MailVault service. (Return to the previous page.)

* public keys generated by the 5.x/6.x/7.x and 8.x versions of PGP and by GNU Privacy Guard (GPG) can be imported into MailVault. Other OpenPGP-based systems are also supported.

**MailVault uses up to 256-bit AES Secure Socket Layer connections for transmission encryption if your browser supports it and 4096-bit/1024-bit OpenPGP encryption for securing email and files.