ekaj

TL/DR: watch "OPSEC for Hackers" it will run down the various ways of staying safe and anonymous/private.

To anyone reading this, in short, skip cryptocat, use Pidgin + OTR, don't believe that TOR is infallible, if you're worried about a nation-state entity, don't so let use TOR, VPN to a private VPS in say Russia or china or some other eastern block nation, the do it again. Then browse using TOR. If you monitor entry and endpoints determining who someone is would not be difficult, and given the fact that various governments setup/run TOR exit/entry nodes, it's not a silver bullet

Why would you suggest cryptocat? I believe that it has been shown to be insecure as nd the author of it basically said "Fuck you, I don't care". Stack overflow explaining why : http://security.stackexchange.com/questions/37306/is-it-possible-to-create-a-secure-chat-web-application-relying-on-html5-web-sock

In short, because cryptocat is a web application you must trust the security of the web server(not taking into account attacks/compromise of ssl). This means that if for whatever the server is compromised, you're SOL. It should also be noted that cryptocat I'd hosted in Sweden, which is very friendly with the US (they help with CIA rendition flights, have complete wiretapping of their incoming/outgoing Internet). It's for that reason that I feel cryptocat is insecure for anything than small things like selling drugs in your neighborhood or anything that wouldn't attract attention from someone other than your local police.

Pidgin + OTR is much more secure, and I believe that you should recommend that anytime over cryptocat, or explain the insecurities of it.

Also, trusting a 3rd party server in Germany does not sound like a great idea.

Don't get me wrong, I love your guy's coverage of these things and believe that this project is amazing for getting people up to speed.

Edit: cannabis helps with asthma. It enlarges the bronchial pathways, relieving some of the symptoms.

Also, have you seen the talk or slides by "the gruqq" called OPSEC for hackers? It contains a large amount of useful info regarding personal security and privacy. If not I highly recommend it.

Cannabis actually helps with asthma. Common misconception. It enlarges the bronchial pathways, helping reduce the symptoms.