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Email Privacy: PGP and Encrypted Email Services
Why ordinary email is a postcard, and how to send sealed envelopes when you need to.
Standard email is transmitted and stored in plain text on multiple servers. PGP encrypts individual messages with a recipient’s public key. Encrypted email services (Proton Mail, Tutanota) automate this between users on the same service and offer password-protected messages to outsiders.
Key takeaways
- Regular email is readable by every server it passes through.
- PGP is powerful but has a steep usability curve.
- Encrypted services hide the complexity for in-network messages.
- Subject lines are not encrypted by PGP; treat them as public.
Why email is the way it is
Email was designed in the 1970s when the internet was small and friendly. Confidentiality wasn’t a goal. Today, encryption between mail servers (TLS) is standard, but the messages themselves are stored in plain text on each server they pass through.
PGP, briefly
Pretty Good Privacy is a system where each user has a public key (shareable) and a private key (secret). Senders encrypt messages to your public key; only your private key can decrypt them. It works, but managing keys manually is fiddly.
Encrypted email services
Proton Mail, Tutanota, and similar services handle keys automatically between users on the same service. To outsiders, they offer a password-protected message link. They’re much friendlier than raw PGP for everyday use.
What encryption does NOT hide
Most email encryption protects message body and attachments, not the subject line, sender, recipient, or timing. Treat metadata as public; put sensitive details in the body, never the subject.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gmail encrypted?
Gmail encrypts in transit and at rest, but Google can read your messages and uses signals from them for product features. ‘Encrypted in transit’ is not the same as end-to-end.
Can I use PGP with Gmail?
Yes, with extensions like Mailvelope, but managing keys is on you. Most users prefer dedicated services.
Are encrypted email services unsubpoena-able?
No service is immune to legal process. Many publish transparency reports describing what they can and cannot hand over.
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