You’ll need to generate keys separately for each account if you want to use OTR with multiple accounts. This key will be used to encrypt your messages. Select the account you want to chat privately with and click the Generate button to create a private key for that specific account. Visit the Tools > Plugins menu and activate the Off-the-Record Messaging plug-in.Ĭlick the Configure Plugin button to view its options.
#ENCRYPTION BUDDY REVIEW MAC OS X#
Mac OS X users will have to use Adium instead.Īfter installation, launch Pidgin and set up your accounts if you haven’t already. Both are available for Windows and should be in your Linux distribution’s software repositories. To use it, you’ll need to install Pidgin and the Pidgin-OTR plug-in. OTR is a plug-in for the Pidgin instant messenger. While OTR probably isn’t perfect, it can add some additional privacy if you need to talk about sensitive matters online. Even if their account were compromised and someone else attempted to talk to you with their screen name, you’d see an error because the encryption information wouldn’t match. OTR also provides authentication, so you have some guarantee you’re talking to the actual person. This hides what you’re talking about from the instant messaging service you’re using, your Internet service provider, your local network operator, and - in theory - intelligence agencies monitoring your Internet usage. It provides an additional layer of encryption and authentication over AIM, Google Talk, ICQ, Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Messenger,or any other protocol Pidgin or Adium support.
If the NSA really wanted to snoop on you, it’s possible they already have a way to break OTR.īut OTR has more uses than just hiding your conversations from the NSA. Any vulnerability in libpurple - the mssaging library used in both Pidgin and Adium - or a vulnerability in the OTR plug-in itself could allow an attacker to compromise your secure session. RELATED: What Is Encryption, and How Does It Work?
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