Pretty Easy privacy

pretty Easy privacy p≡p
Developer(s) p≡p Foundation (Switzerland), p≡p Security AG (Switzerland), p≡p Security SA (Luxembourg)
Initial release July 4, 2016 (2016-07-04)
Written in ASN.1, C, C#, C++, Objective-C, Java, JavaScript, Python, Swift, SQL, YML2
Type Data encryption
License GNU General Public License
Website pep.security

pretty Easy privacy (p≡p) is a pluggable data encryption and verification system, which provides automatic cryptographic key management through a set of libraries (providing p≡p adapters for application developers' used programming languages and development environments) for written digital communications. Its main goal is to turn the default in written digital communications towards end-to-end encryption for all users in the most easy way possible and on all channels they use already today, including e-mails, SMS or other types of messages.

It exists as plugin for Microsoft Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird and also as a mobile app for Android as beta while an iOS app is under development. p≡p works under Microsoft Windows, Unix-like, Mac OS X operating systems and also under Android. Its cryptographic functionality is handled by open source p≡p engine relying on already existing cryptographic implementations in software like GnuPG, a modified version of netpgp (used only in iOS) and (as of p≡p v2.0) GNUnet.

In its default configuration, pEp does not rely on a web of trust or any form of centralised trust infrastructure, but instead lets users verify each other's authenticity by comparing cryptographic fingerprints in the form of natural language strings, which the pEp developers have chosen to call "trustwords".

pretty Easy privacy was first released in 2016.[1] All source code of software already released, that is of p≡p engine, adapters, apps and addons (including Microsoft Outlook) are free and open-source software.

Design principles

Above all, p≡p – contrary to existing cryptographic solutions – shall be easy to install, use and understand. Furthermore, for their communications p≡p users don’t depend on any specific platform, message transport system (SMS, email, XMPP etc.) or centrally provided client–server or "cloud" infrastructures: p≡p is fully peer-to-peer by design.[2]

Keys are exchanged opportunistically by transffering via email.[3]

Enigmail support

Enigmail has announced its support for the new "pretty Easy privacy" (p≡p) encryption scheme in a joint Thunderbird extension to be released in December 2015.[4] As of June 2016 according to a p≡p FAQ note it will be available in Q3 2016[5] and Patrick Brunschwig, head of Enigmail himself, announced to have p≡p core functionality implemented in Enigmail during October 2016, ready for Mozilla Festival then taking place in London.[6]

On October 3, 2018, PEP admitted their recent release is faulty[7], and the workaround is to turn off PEP until further notice. Besides, the listed issues found on the press release, users across platforms, including Mac and Windows users, also experience missing buttons on the tool bar, unable to force encrypt an email messages.

ISOC support

Internet Society Switzerland Chapter (ISOC-CH) and the Swiss p≡p foundation teamed up[8] to provide a practical solution, namely to implement privacy-enhancing standards at the basic level of Internet protocols and document them in the work of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the main organization creating voluntary standards to maintain and improve the usability and interoperability of the Internet.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Data protection is "pretty easy" with Luxembourg-developed app". Luxembourg Times. 6 June 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  2. ↑ "Privacy by default: White paper" (PDF). p≡p foundation council. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  3. ↑ Walfield, Neal (20 December 2016). "Op-ed: Why I'm not giving up on PGP". Ars Technica. Retrieved 17 May 2018. the pretty Easy privacy (p≡p) project are working on opportunistically transferring keys via e-mail
  4. ↑ "Enigmail and p≡p are partnering". 2015-09-07.
  5. ↑ https://prettyeasyprivacy.com/faq/
  6. ↑ "Patrick Brunschwig on the Thunderbird Planning mailing list about to emerging availability of Enigmail/p≡p".
  7. ↑ "ENIGMAIL/P≡P: CURRENT RELEASE FOR WINDOWS IS FAULTY — SOLUTION IN PROGRESS".
  8. ↑ Radu, Roxana (20 March 2018). "A Collaborative Effort for pretty Easy privacy (p≡p)". www.isoc.ch. Internet Society Switzerland Chapter. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
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