Bitmessage - decentralized protocol outside reach of NSA warrantless wiretapping

[Millard]

Is decentralized Bitmessage superior to centralized email services such as anonymousspeech and countermail?

Bitmessage is a decentralized, encrypted, peer-to-peer, trustless communications protocol that can be used by one person to send encrypted messages to another person, or to multiple subscribers. Bitmessage encrypts each users' message inbox using strong encryption and replicates it inside its P2P network mixing it with inboxes of other users in order to conceal user's identity, prevent eavesdropping and protect the network from any control. The Bitmessage communication protocol avoids sender-spoofing through strong authentication, and hides metadata from wiretapping systems.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitmessage

Popular Science mention of Bitmessage:

Bitmessage is a newish service, created in the style of Bitcoin. It also uses public-key encryption, but when you send an email, it mixes it with all other emails being sent, which makes it pretty much impossible for anyone in the middle to figure out from where the email was sent. They also don't have any information as to the receiver of the email, so each individual message contains the data from every other message that's also going through Bitmessage. The receiver's key, however, only retrieves the message that was intended for his or her inbox. Messages are also not archived; to keep from having a bazillion old emails floating around, being downloaded all the time, messages are deleted after two days. It's completely decentralized, which might make it the best option for those who fear the government. Who is the government going to issue a request to? There's nobody in charge!

Source: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-08/what-are-your-options-secure-email

Forbes mention of bitmessage:

Consider one especially ingenious secure-email alternative to attract the spotlight after Lavabit’s shutdown: BitMessage is an encrypted messaging protocol that uses no central servers, leaving the government without a party to subpoena (and, thanks to a two-day data-retention policy, without data to seize). Although technical issues have kept the BitMessage community small, this particular decentralized service is part of a larger movement, one that seeks to address pressing security and privacy concerns by cutting out, or locking out, the weakest link—the middleman service provider.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspi...revented-itself-from-unlocking-ios-8-devices/

 

[pumpingiron22]

Great post. Look forward to checking it out. So this is similar to cryptocat but its an email?

 

[Millard]

Bitmessage is not email. Both bitmessage and cryptocat are decentralized. But only bitmessage is P2P; cryptocat uses XMPP server protocol. At least, this is my layperson understanding.

Also, bitmessage has its own messaging client rather than a browser extension.

 

[Avies48]

Ok im just starting to post again on meso.... I have to wonder with this bitmessge cant a source such as nsa just put a time stamp or some other tracker on bitmessages and follow them per se'? I mean nsa has had countless secret programs that are still comming to light such as the recent aircraft one where they make fake phone towers and have ur phone connect to those towers to eavesdrop.... I mean nothing is completly secure, this sounds promising but so was tor, and u saw what happened there....

 

[heady muscle]

It makes me kind of leery if Popular Science and Forbes is mentioning it.