Free
Encrypted Email - Questions and Support
QUESTIONS:
What
do I need to use PerfectlyPrivate Mail?
How much storage space is there in a PerfectlyPrivate
mail box?
Will PerfectlyPrivate/HushMail run on my Macintosh™
computer?
Can I attach files to my email messages? Can I
receive attachments?
Is there a size limit on the messages and attachments
I send/receive? Why?
Enabling JavaScript & Java for compatibility
My screen freezes or goes blank, now what?
My sign-up didn't work correctly, can I start
over?
Is there a "back door" for government agencies?
What if my message is subpoenaed?
What if I forget my passphrase?
How are you different from Hotmail or Yahoo?
Please
note: If you are unable to find answers to your
questions here, you may wish to also visit the
more in-depth technical
information provided by Hush Communications
(the company which powers this private label
email service)
What do I need to use PerfectlyPrivate
Mail?
This
service uses cutting-edge java technology. For
optimal performance we recommend using the most
recent browser version. System requirements are
as follows:
- Netscape
Communicator™
- Microsoft
Internet Explorer™ (IE)
- Windows95™,
Windows98™ or WindowsNT™
IE users must have the Microsoft Java Virtual
Machine installed in order for this service to
work. Installing IE version 5.0 will automatically
install the Microsoft Java VM.
This service will not work with WebTV or Macintosh
systems. How
much storage space is there in a PerfectlyPrivate
mail box?
With
regards to storage space, all perfectlyprivate
users have a 2mblimit.
Will
PerfectlyPrivate/HushMail run on my Macintosh™
computer?
Regrettably,
PerfectlyPrivate/HushMail does not work on "Macs".
This is due to problems with the way Java works
in browsers availablefor the Macintosh. We are
hoping that future web browsers for Macintoshwill
resolve these problems.
Can
I attach files to my email messages? Can I receive
attachments?
Absolutely.
In fact, sending and receiving attachments has
never before been so secure.
Your
secure email wraps attachments with the same end-to-end
encryption that protects all your secure email
messages sent between secure email users. Attaching
files to your secure email is easy. Simply click
on "Compose" and look for the "Attach File" button
in the top right-hand corner of the box. Click
the "Attach File". You can then browse to the
file or image you wish to attach. Once the selected
file is uploaded, it will be ready to send as
a fully secured attachment, with no further action
required by you.
Receiving attachments is also easy: Once you click
on the "View Attachments" button in the upper
right-hand corner of an opened mail, you'll see
a pull-down menu with all the attachments listed
and ready to be downloaded or opened. Simply click
on "View Attachments" and save the attachment
directly to your hard drive.
Is
there a size limit on the messages and attachments
I send/receive? Why?
Your
secure email caps the size of messages sent or
received at 32K. This cap prevents attachments
or images from accidentally making their way into
a secure email address. You can send and receive
attachments up to 1MB in size through your secure
email.
NOTE:
Netscape™ users are significantly restricted in
the size of both plaintext messages and attachments.
The amount of text that will fit into a secure
email message is 32K. The total amount of information
that can be sent when both plaintext messages
and attachments are combined cannot exceed 400K.
These
unfortunate Netscape™ size limitations are a direct
result of how the Netscape browser architecture
allocates memory. At the present time, your secure
email system is unable to provide a solution to
Netscape's limitations.
Enabling
JavaScript & Java for Compatibility
In
order to use many functions at our site, you will
need to enable JavaScript in your Web browser.
If it is already enabled, you will not need to
follow these steps.
Netscape
Users:
- Pull
down the "Edit" menu
- Select
"Preferences"
- On
the "Preferences" screen, select "Advanced"
- Check
the box labeled "Enable JavaScript"
Internet
Explorer Users:
- Pull
down the "Tools" menu
- Select
"Internet Options"
- Select
the "Security" tab
- Select
"Internet"
- Change
"Security level for this zone" to
"Default Level"
- Move
the slider to "Medium"
If
you are not comfortable with this level of security,
you can custom edit your security preferences
by selecting "Custom."
Enabling
Java
Java
is also required to use this service. If it is already
enabled, you Netscape
Users:
- Pull
down the "Edit" menu
- Select
"Preferences"
- On
the "Preferences" screen, select "Advanced"
- Check
the box labeled "Enable Java"
Internet
Explorer Users:
- Pull
down the "Tools" menu
- Select
"Internet Options"
- Select
"Advanced"
- Scroll
down to the "Java VM" section
- Check
the box that says, "JIT compiler for virtual
machine enabled"
My
screen freezes or goes blank, now what?
If the screen freezes or changes colors and freezes
after you've entered your passphrase and you're
using Netscape, try hitting the "Shift" button
on your keyboard while simultaneously clicking
on the "Reload" button found on the menu bar of
your browser. Netscape may be trying to load a
cached or old version of the site.
This recommendation will not work if you are using
Microsoft's Internet Explorer. If your screen
freezes or changes color and freezes, close the
browser and re-enter your username and passphrase.
You may also want to ensure that you have both
Java and Javascript enabled, as well as (on Internet
Explorer) having the Java Virtual Machine enabled.
See Enabling JavaScript & Java for
compatibility above for further details.
My
sign-up didn't work correctly, can I start over?
Yes. If you ran into a problem or the java applet
didn't load while you were signing up for an account,
you can return to the application form and continue.
Just be sure you supply the same sign-in name
and provide the same non-PerfectlyPrivate email
address as before. Our system will recognize that
you are trying to continue with your original
sign up and let you try again.
Does
PerfectlyPrivate and/or its partner Hush Communications
have a "back door" that can be accessed by government
agencies?
No.
Email and attachments sent between PerfectlyPrivate
users is completely encrypted.
What
if my message is subpoenaed?
PerfectlyPrivate
and Hush Communcations will answer valid, court-issued
subpoenas. However, if the mail is fully encrypted,
the subpoenaed version will not resemble the original
text version, and will not be decipherable.
What
if I forget my passphrase?
Don't
lose your passphrase! The system doesn't allow
access to your password phrase (even to PerfectlyPrivate
employees), therefore, we cannot help users if
they misplace or forget their passphrases. So,
be sure to WRITE DOWN the passphrase upon sign-up
and store it in a safe place, preferably away
from your PC.
How
is PerfectlyPrivate different from Hotmail or
Yahoo?
We
offer fully encrypted, easy-to-use, Web-based
email service.
- No
other service provides END-TO-END security.
- No
other service is as EASY-TO-USE.
- No
other service transparently exchanges PUBLIC
AND PRIVATE KEYS.
This
service is different from the larger Web-based
email providers in one critically important way:
We offer complete privacy and security, while
Hotmail™ and Yahoo™ do not. Our secure system
allows PerfectlyPrivate users to communicate between
each other with the security of bulletproof 1,024-bit
encryption.
Features such as the Address Book and Folders
are housed entirely within the Java applet that
runs your account. Therefore, users don't have
to wait to reload the entire Web page when accessing
their address books or folders, unlike Yahoo ™
and HotMail ™. |
