3 ms·

People who work for the Russian government?

tyingq 6y ago
People doing things that they don't want the FBI/IRS/etc to see, but don't care if Russia sees is probably a broader set than that.
- ardy42 6y ago
  > People doing things that they don't want the FBI/IRS/etc to see, but don't care if Russia sees is probably a broader set than that. If you want to avoid eavesdropping, it's probably best to avoid email altogether and use something designed for that purpose (like Signal). I don't see how you would get the effect you describe by using Yandex unless you did something like only ever emailing other Yandex accounts.
  - hollerith 6y ago
    Just because someone used Yandex as a hyperbolic analogy doesn't mean we're talking about Yandex.
    - ardy42 6y ago
      > Just because someone used Yandex as a hyperbolic analogy doesn't mean we're talking about Yandex. But my point is that email itself is an insecure technology, and not even Phil Zimmerman bothers with PGP [1]. If you want to avoid something like 5 Eyes eavesdropping with a Russian/Chinese/etc. email provider, at a minimum you probably won't be able to email anyone with a 5 Eyes-based email account, and even if you do that some fraction of your mails may still get hoovered up in transit somewhere else. Sticking to only emailing accounts on the same provider seems like the most "secure" implementation of this idea, but even that is suspect. The PRC hacked Gmail ten years ago, and it's not unreasonable to assume the NSA could have an APT in Yandex. IMHO, this equipment really only helps with security concerns unique to the Russian government itself. Regular people in other countries have better options for their use-cases. [1] https://www.vice.com/en/article/vvbw9a/even-the-inventor-of-pgp-doesnt-use-pgp https://www.vice.com/en/article/vvbw9a/even-the-inventor-of-... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Aurora https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Aurora
      - tyingq 6y ago
        Assume you have a shady company that has to use email for some things. Having your email provider being unlikely to comply with a US subpoena could have value.
erinnh 6y ago
People living inside the 5 eyes. Its arguably harder for Countries outside your own/those that are in good standing with yours to affect your life. While your own/allied Countries will be able to do more with the information that you potential give it. Not that Im saying to get one of these or not. Just an idea why it might be interesting to prefer to give information to one country instead of another. (if you have the choice)
- marcinzm 6y ago
  >Its arguably harder for Countries outside your own/those that are in good standing with yours to affect your life. Given full access to your email they can do a lot of things that would cost you your job and potentially lead to criminal charges. Given that these governments are actively performing cyber crimes in your nation of residence why wouldn't they use you (and your credentials) as a stepping stone? The risk is low but so is the risk of your own government going after you. Neither is zero.
  - SpaceRaccoon 6y ago
    Would you the same about foreigners who use American services? Does it warrant losing their jobs and criminal charges in their respective countries?

People doing things that they don't want the FBI/IRS/etc to see, but don't care if Russia sees is probably a broader set than that.

ardy42 6y ago
> People doing things that they don't want the FBI/IRS/etc to see, but don't care if Russia sees is probably a broader set than that. If you want to avoid eavesdropping, it's probably best to avoid email altogether and use something designed for that purpose (like Signal). I don't see how you would get the effect you describe by using Yandex unless you did something like only ever emailing other Yandex accounts.
- hollerith 6y ago
  Just because someone used Yandex as a hyperbolic analogy doesn't mean we're talking about Yandex.
  - ardy42 6y ago
    > Just because someone used Yandex as a hyperbolic analogy doesn't mean we're talking about Yandex. But my point is that email itself is an insecure technology, and not even Phil Zimmerman bothers with PGP [1]. If you want to avoid something like 5 Eyes eavesdropping with a Russian/Chinese/etc. email provider, at a minimum you probably won't be able to email anyone with a 5 Eyes-based email account, and even if you do that some fraction of your mails may still get hoovered up in transit somewhere else. Sticking to only emailing accounts on the same provider seems like the most "secure" implementation of this idea, but even that is suspect. The PRC hacked Gmail ten years ago, and it's not unreasonable to assume the NSA could have an APT in Yandex. IMHO, this equipment really only helps with security concerns unique to the Russian government itself. Regular people in other countries have better options for their use-cases. [1] https://www.vice.com/en/article/vvbw9a/even-the-inventor-of-pgp-doesnt-use-pgp https://www.vice.com/en/article/vvbw9a/even-the-inventor-of-... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Aurora https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Aurora
    - tyingq 6y ago
      Assume you have a shady company that has to use email for some things. Having your email provider being unlikely to comply with a US subpoena could have value.

erinnh 6y ago

People living inside the 5 eyes. Its arguably harder for Countries outside your own/those that are in good standing with yours to affect your life. While your own/allied Countries will be able to do more with the information that you potential give it. Not that Im saying to get one of these or not. Just an idea why it might be interesting to prefer to give information to one country instead of another. (if you have the choice)

marcinzm 6y ago
>Its arguably harder for Countries outside your own/those that are in good standing with yours to affect your life. Given full access to your email they can do a lot of things that would cost you your job and potentially lead to criminal charges. Given that these governments are actively performing cyber crimes in your nation of residence why wouldn't they use you (and your credentials) as a stepping stone? The risk is low but so is the risk of your own government going after you. Neither is zero.
- SpaceRaccoon 6y ago
  Would you the same about foreigners who use American services? Does it warrant losing their jobs and criminal charges in their respective countries?