Re: [ESD-translators] privacy on the keyservers

[Ineiev]

Hi, Tomas;

On Wed, Apr 11, 2018 at 12:53:33PM +0200, Tomas Stary wrote:
> >>>
> >>> My worry is that when you sign keys of your friends and upload them to
> >>> the keyserver, everyone now knows who do you communicate with.
> > 
> > It's up to you: if you don't want people upload your signatures
> > on their keys, you don't send them their keys signed by you;
> > if they don't want your signatures on their keys to show up
> > on the keyservers, they don't upload the keys with your signatures
> > you sent them.
> 
> In my experience, my own key had appeared on the keyserver without me
> doing any action. That was because one of my contacts has signed and
> uploaded it. I could not have prevented it.

You are right, you can't prevent your contacts uploading your key
with their signatures unless they are used to certain conventions.

> > Public keys are meant to be public, I think people just shouldn't rely on
> > them being private.
> > 
> 
> Ok. The issue is more with the personal information (name and email)
> than the key itself. Then it might be recommendable to create a
> pseudonymous identity if you are a dissident or whistleblower.

I agree.

> > I don't think there is a lot of private information. most
> > if not all of that information is really public.
> > 
> 
> Arguably. I guess in some countries you might at least attract attention
> to you, if you sign keys of dissidents.

I think in such countries you are not safe anyway even if you don't
sign any keys, and such facts contribute little a priori; they'll help
building the suit against you, but the government shall be able
to build it of anything. on the other hand, the more keys people
sign, the more they use encrypted communications, the less 
materia they leave to such adversaries.

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