Proposal:Pseudonymous PGP

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The status of this proposal is:
Request for Discussion / Sign-Ups

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Summary

Facilitate authenticated/secure communications using Pretty Good Privacy without surrendering users' privacy.

Proposal

  • Set up a keyserver which will be used primarily for a pseudonymous Wikimedian web of trust.

Motivation

  • Users may wish to have authenticated or secure communications (primarily email).
  • The standard method to do this is PGP. PGP requires the surrender of one's privacy.
  • For our purposes, it is not necessary to know the real identity of the sender, only the association between that person, and whoever logs into the on-wiki account (and potentially secondary/tertiary services like a toolserver shell account, TUSC account, or mailman login).

Key Questions

  • Can/Should/How would this integrate with the larger PGP web of trust?
  • Can/Should users who are identified to the Foundation for roles involving access to private information have their keys signed by non-pseudonymous Foundation staff to provide a more credible link which might be accepted in the larger PGP web of trust?

Potential Costs

  • Tech costs for setting up and maintaining a keyserver.
  • Educational campaign for Wikimedians and outsiders using PGP.

References

Community Discussion

Do you have a thought about this proposal? A suggestion? Discuss this proposal by going to Proposal talk:Pseudonymous PGP.

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