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Right, I should've phrased it as PGP encryption keys obtained from a public keyserver.

by soraminazuki 3y ago

lxgr 3y ago
Backing up keys stored on a GnuPG card (e.g. on a Yubikey) does require that.
- soraminazuki 3y ago
  It doesn't require that. You have the option of doing so. You can back up public keys and restore them just like any other file. I don't see why a public key file should require special treatment from any other file requiring backup.
  - lxgr 3y ago
    And I don't see why publishing a public key file to a key server should trigger any special semantics regarding email encryption without an explicit "I currently have this key accessible, go ahead and encrypt email to me using it" flag.
    - soraminazuki 3y ago
      Because that's what a public keyserver is for. It's not a private file syncing service. You can use it as one, but don't get mad at others when they use public keyservers as intended.
      - lxgr 3y ago
        > Because that's what a public keyserver is for. Who defined that? > It's not a private file syncing service. No, it's a public file syncing service :)
        soraminazuki 3y ago
        Well, ask the creator of PGP: > Whatever it is, you don't want your private electronic mail (email) or confidential documents read by anyone else. https://www.philzimmermann.com/EN/essays/WhyIWrotePGP.html https://www.philzimmermann.com/EN/essays/WhyIWrotePGP.html It was designed for private electronic mail. Or the PGP FAQ linked by the MIT keyserver: > PGP is a program that gives your electronic mail something that it otherwise doesn't have: Privacy. https://pgp.mit.edu/info.html https://pgp.mit.edu/info.html Where did you get your definition from? Because it's the first time I ever heard of it.
        lxgr 3y ago
        From www.openpgp.org: > Although OpenPGP’s main purpose is end-to-end encrypted email communication, it is also utilized for encrypted messaging and other use cases such as password managers. Tools and protocols evolve. Just because it was generated with email in mind doesn't mean that that's what people use it for these days.
        soraminazuki 3y ago
        Yes, but that still doesn't grant you permission to yell at people using it as originally intended. And whatever the "modern" usage for PGP may be, the purpose of keyservers still remain the same: publishing keys for others to use, or discovering them.

Right, I should've phrased it as PGP encryption keys obtained from a public keyserver.

lxgr 3y ago

Backing up keys stored on a GnuPG card (e.g. on a Yubikey) does require that.

soraminazuki 3y ago
It doesn't require that. You have the option of doing so. You can back up public keys and restore them just like any other file. I don't see why a public key file should require special treatment from any other file requiring backup.
- lxgr 3y ago
  And I don't see why publishing a public key file to a key server should trigger any special semantics regarding email encryption without an explicit "I currently have this key accessible, go ahead and encrypt email to me using it" flag.
  - soraminazuki 3y ago
    Because that's what a public keyserver is for. It's not a private file syncing service. You can use it as one, but don't get mad at others when they use public keyservers as intended.
    - lxgr 3y ago
      > Because that's what a public keyserver is for. Who defined that? > It's not a private file syncing service. No, it's a public file syncing service :)
      - soraminazuki 3y ago
        Well, ask the creator of PGP: > Whatever it is, you don't want your private electronic mail (email) or confidential documents read by anyone else. https://www.philzimmermann.com/EN/essays/WhyIWrotePGP.html https://www.philzimmermann.com/EN/essays/WhyIWrotePGP.html It was designed for private electronic mail. Or the PGP FAQ linked by the MIT keyserver: > PGP is a program that gives your electronic mail something that it otherwise doesn't have: Privacy. https://pgp.mit.edu/info.html https://pgp.mit.edu/info.html Where did you get your definition from? Because it's the first time I ever heard of it.
        lxgr 3y ago
        From www.openpgp.org: > Although OpenPGP’s main purpose is end-to-end encrypted email communication, it is also utilized for encrypted messaging and other use cases such as password managers. Tools and protocols evolve. Just because it was generated with email in mind doesn't mean that that's what people use it for these days.
        soraminazuki 3y ago
        Yes, but that still doesn't grant you permission to yell at people using it as originally intended. And whatever the "modern" usage for PGP may be, the purpose of keyservers still remain the same: publishing keys for others to use, or discovering them.