Instant messaging security
I guess instant messaging security, secure IM, and all that jazz is big business these days. Well, at least a few tech companies (and AOL) seem to think so.
Over the last couple of years, I’ve tried a few things, since I like the idea of my chat being secure. SILC was an option, but it’s a completely separate service and protocol, and frankly, that’s impractical.
Enter Off-the-Record (OTR). It’s open source, GNU GPL and GNU LGPL, and it works with a variety of messaging services. Their web page sucks, which leads me to believe that it might not be very popular, but who knows? I use it with gaim and configure it such that the other person doesn’t have to be using OTR, but if he/she is, our conversation will be secure.
And of course, best of all, it’s free, which isn’t always the case with secure instant messaging.