How can we ensure message privacy in a world of government-imposed surveillance?

What is it about?

This research introduces EMC2 (Encrypted Multi-Channel Communication), a new approach to secure online communication. EMC2 encrypts a plaintext message in two steps: the plaintext message is converted into binary form, e.g., the word ‘hello’ into the series 11010. In the second step, these zeroes and ones are encrypted using a random series of bits, similar to flipping a coin, where heads means that the bit remains the same and tails means that the bit is flipped from 1 to 0 or from 0 to 1. What keeps the communication safe is sending the encrypted message and the random bit series, separately through two independent communication channels, such as email and a messenger. EMC2 ensures the confidentiality of the message as long as attackers cannot intercept both channels. With this, EMC2 enhances the security of sensitive information by distributing trust over several service providers, thus eliminating single points of failure. To make this method accessible to a broader audience, we developed a publicly available tool that allows anyone to try it and experience its simplicity and effectiveness.

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Photo by kuu akura on Unsplash

Photo by kuu akura on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Privacy in digital communication is increasingly critical, particularly for professions like law, medicine, and politics, where confidentiality is essential. Traditional encryption solutions are either too complex for laypeople or overly rely on protection by individual providers. EMC2 addresses these issues by offering an easy-to-use method and tool that works across existing communication channels like messaging apps, ensuring privacy without additional registration or setup. It also demonstrates the ineffectiveness of government-imposed backdoors or surveillance.