“Just about everything you do while connected to a network can
be easily watched. System Administrators can rifle through your
email, and disgruntled employees can intercept copies of your
financial and legal documents as you transfer them across your LAN.
Laptops are often stolen, and the loss is much greater if the
system also contains confidential information.”
“Sending sensitive information in email, transferring it around
on a network, or even leaving it on your hard drive is the digital
equivalent of putting that information on a neon billboard in Times
Square.”
“Encryption is one of the most effective ways to ensure your
information is secure. Correctly using a good encryption package,
such as GNU Privacy Guard (GnuPG), will help insure your data
remains private. Email sent encrypted with GnuPG can only be
decrypted by the person whom the message is intended. Encrypted
messages which are intercepted and stolen are worthless to anyone
but the intended recipient.”