Why isn't there an end-to-end encryption standard for email so that we can get rid of fax machines? - eviltoast

That’s the reason we have to still use fax machines right?

I know there are ways to do encryption like PGP on your message directly or I think email sent over TLS? But that isn’t the default right and that’s why I can’t send a picture of my license to the insurance company directly over email?

  • ErwinLottemann@feddit.de
    92·
    1 year ago

    PGP is the solution, but the problem is, that noone likes to use it. Or it’s “too complicated”, because it’s another password they need to remember. Or, whatever. It would literally solve nearly all of the problems we currently have with emai 🤷 No more spam, because you could filter out all unsigned or untrusted mails, no problems when your email account is hacked, because the mails are encrypted on the server. No Mailserver admin spying on your mails…

    • CoderKat@lemm.ee
      5·
      1 year ago

      Let’s be honest, PGP has major usability issues. I mean, a standard that just tells you to “figure it out” with regards to key exchange? And while I’m sure there’s plenty of people who’ve tried to make central services to handle the key exchange part, none have actually gotten any significant usage or seemingly even agreement.

      I don’t think it would much reduce spam, though. If you use email in a closed environment of sorts, you already can reject email from people you don’t know. If they use trusted email providers and you require SPF and DKIM (as most modern webmail does), spoofing isn’t really a concern, at least not if you have an allowlist of senders. And if you’re not in a closed environment, presumably you’d have to share your public key very widely, making it accessible to spammers too.