21 years after the request OpenPGP support gets added to Thunderbird (bugzilla.mozilla.org)

Article summary

After 21 years, OpenPGP support has been added to Thunderbird, a popular email client. The feature allows users to send and receive encrypted emails. The implementation does not rely on GnuPG due to licensing issues. Instead, it uses library calls to provide integrated OpenPGP support.

Main themes

• OpenPGP support in Thunderbird
• email encryption
• secure communication protocols
• PGP limitations
• backwards compatibility
• Autocrypt and S/MIME alternatives

What commenters say

• PGP encryption in email is not a good way to do secure communication due to its complexity and limitations.
• Despite its flaws, PGP is still the best available option for secure email communication.
• Building a new open protocol on top of email that maintains strong backwards compatibility while offering strong security guarantees is not possible.
• Upgrading clients to support new security protocols is easier than redesigning ubiquitous internet protocols.
• Signal Protocol is a successful example of a secure communication protocol, but it may not be suitable for email.
• Autocrypt is a potential solution that provides opportunistic encryption and is backwards-compatible with existing email systems.
• S/MIME is a closer to a dead simple solution but requires trusting certificate authorities.
• Storing private key password-encrypted on the IMAP server could be a useful feature for secure email communication.