Global Encryption Day: securely encrypting digital data
October 21 is all about encrypted online communication: the Global Encryption Coalition, an initiative of various IT companies and organizations, has called for a Global Encryption Day. WEB.DE and GMX will be helping their 38 million users to securely and easily encrypt their private data, free of charge.
Under the motto Make the Switch, the Global Encryption Coalition (GEC) is calling on internet users, as well as companies and government organizations, to improve protection of their private data and to encrypt it more frequently. Protecting digital privacy and encrypting sensitive data are also key concerns for Germany's largest e-mail providers WEB.DE and GMX:
“Even though the public and political debate has died down eight years after the Snowden revelations, the issue of confidential online data is still hugely important. Not only do US intelligence agencies continue to collect extensive data that users knowingly or unknowingly store with US services, but other countries are attempting to do the same. And the international hacker scene has long since reached industrial dimensions and is hunting for confidential data around the world. Effective encryption remains one of the most important – and unfortunately often the only – solutions.
Global Encryption Day is a good opportunity for governments, businesses, and individuals to remind themselves of this fact. The protection of sensitive, personal data on the internet should not be the sole preserve of a small, technically savvy section of society. Everyone should be able to encrypt their data with just a few clicks. Encryption not only helps protect people’s privacy, it also benefits the economy. After all, communication and digital transactions over the internet require security and trust,” says Jan Oetjen, CEO of WEB.DE and GMX.
WEB.DE and GMX offer triple protection for their own e-mail inboxes
WEB.DE and GMX offer their 38 million or so users the option of protecting their e-mail communication free of charge with end-to-end encryption. Private data can also be securely encrypted in the cloud with the Safe Folder. In addition, customers can choose two-factor authentication for every e-mail account, thus effectively protecting their mailbox against unauthorized access.