Silk Road forums

Discussion => Security => Topic started by: peaceandhats on August 23, 2012, 08:00 am

Title: PGP on a mac (I can use tormail in mail ?)
Post by: peaceandhats on August 23, 2012, 08:00 am
So I am trying to use pgp! Please help me out with a few things:

I set up the pgp keychain access on my computer. (For some reason I cannot get it to sync with the pgp servers though, I have tried four of them), it won't upload me into the directory or allow me to search the directory. I was able to add a vendor on here by creating a text file with their public key and somehow their name came up. I also got a tormail account. I haven't set it up inside mail yet. I need to do this right ? So now the pgp encryption is coming up in my mail program and asking me if I want to encrypt. Do I just encrypt and send my address away now ? Somehow I feel so squeamish about sending something from my mail program it seems so insecure (doesn't feel like I'm inside the tor network).  I don't understand where the seller's key comes in for me emailing them yet (I did add it to my keychain but I'm not sure what I do with it now).

Also what is the normal procedure/ettiquette for sending your addy to sellers ? I haven't heard back from seller since placing my order earlier today. Do they msg and ask for it ? You just use the email address associated with their public key and send it to them there as soon as you put in your order ?
Title: Re: PGP on a mac (I can use tormail in mail ?)
Post by: peaceandhats on August 23, 2012, 05:57 pm
Bumping this up, can any of the PGP experts help me setting up PGP on mac ?
Title: Re: PGP on a mac (I can use tormail in mail ?)
Post by: peaceandhats on August 24, 2012, 12:43 am
Thanks Guru. I am trying to set up thunderbird but I am stuck because it won't recognize my tormail password for some reason. I can log in fine on the tormail website. I've been playing around with the configuration settings, I even tried using tormail.net rather than tormail.org but no luck.
Title: Re: PGP on a mac (I can use tormail in mail ?)
Post by: peaceandhats on August 24, 2012, 01:43 am
Sorry I didn't read your entire msg.  I was hopping around trying to install vidalia and tor and then follow the instructions instead of just reading and going in order. Reading it in order after I posted now I see that yes it wouldn't work unless I have vidalia. I'm trying to get a copy of vidalia but everything that comes up when I search seems to say tor vidalia, which I'm guessing is what I already have. Thanks again for the information.
Title: Re: PGP on a mac (I can use tormail in mail ?)
Post by: peaceandhats on August 25, 2012, 05:26 pm
Thank you for making an effort to help people learn PGP. I appreciate it and thanks for your help.

Also I have to admit after I almost made that mistake I felt a little suspicious of your and others' encouragement on here to use PGP. To be honest a part of me was wondering if you were LE.

What I'm going to say next, well this is just my perspective and I could be wrong:

In response to what you said above, if you think that people who aren't "smart" enough to know not to do whatever shouldn't be on SR, then why bother to explain PGP/ encourage PGP use in people who clearly weren't "smart" enough to learn it on their own/know to pick it up on their own ? Doesn't make sense. Also saying "Well if you can't figure it out you're too stupid to be here" doesn't show a lot of concern for people's safety which seems disingenuous since you are encouraging PGP use. True you are under no obligation to be concerned with people's safety but if so well don't bother encouraging PGP use.

btw If you want my help to edit some of those instructions, make them more mistakeproof no problem, let me know
Title: Re: PGP on a mac (I can use tormail in mail ?)
Post by: peaceandhats on August 27, 2012, 06:57 am
If I weren't concerned for people's safety, I wouldn't be posting here. Sometimes I get frustrated at peoples' thoughtlessness, and I just need to vent.  At least 3-4 times per week, I'll see someone posting on here, if not using their real name, using a real, clearnet email address. There have been cases on here where people have used real, clearnet email addresses of long standing. These email addresses are linked to social networking sites, containing a treasure-trove of personal information -- the only things missing are their bank account/credit card numbers, and their blood types.

That's pretty bad, that's got to be difficult to watch.


America's prisons, in particular, are bulging at the seams with non-violent drug offenders -- I'm just trying to do my part to prevent any more people from falling into that particular black hole.  I remember when Richard Nixon launched the "War on Drugs" -- that was 40 years ago, and by some estimates, more than a trillion dollars in America alone has vanished down that particular rat-hole. I can only despair when I think what could have been accomplished with those resources in education and healthcare, to name just two possible alternatives.

True. That's unfortunate.

btw If you want my help to edit some of those instructions, make them more mistakeproof no problem, let me know>>
Please be my guest -- another pair of eyes is always welcome.

Ok sure I will do that. I think the directions are good and it would be clearer if they specified what to download/gave the links for each thing to download at the beginning of it saying for instance, "Download all these files but don't install all of them right away, I will tell you the order to install them in later. " From my perspective it's a little easier to just download everything at the beginning from the given links (so you know you have the right vidalia etc), than to go surfing and trying to download things in the middle of the instructions.