E-mail, chat, & VoIP forum: Can someone help me not be paranoid about email addresses?

I think you should try the forum with more traffic like CNET's Computer Help forum.

Ok I'm going to try doing that I guess then since it doesn't seem like I got much attention here. That forum I seem to get a lot of good advice from anyways so maybe that's where I'll get some for this question of mine too. I guess I'll just copy and paste it there then if that's ok. Thanks for the tip.

Sorry I clicked yes that my problem is resolved but its not really. I'm still open to help here if anyone has anything.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-encrypt-your-email-with-Thunderbird/

Keep clking on "Next Step" for walk through.

http://dragly.org/2010/02/13/getting-started-with-encrypted-e-mail-using-thunderbird-and-enigmail/

In short you give a key to each person you want to read your encrypted emails and they import the key into their program so they can do that. You can send them the key by snail mail on a thumbdrive or CDR. If not too paranoid you can send it out once when you first open a new email account to your friends and then not do so again. Depends on the level of privacy you desire.

I would have to disagree. There are lots of people who are "out to get you". They want to steal your identity, credit card numbers, etc. They want to use your email address to send illegal SPAM. A little paranoia is a good thing when it comes to your information security. Ever seen someone sitting at your favorite hot spot collecting usernames, passwords, cc numbers, etc. ....all sent in the clear by people who don't know they are even doing it? Maybe you will be their next victim!
<div menubottom="0" menuright="0" menutop="0" menuleft="0" activeid="-1" expanded="0" style="display: none;" id="divCleekiAttrib"></div>

I'm not saying turn your antivirus off and change all your passwords to 123. I'm just saying that Mr_redglass is going a little too far in his paranoia. In my opinion it is perfectly safe to use email clients such as Google and Yahoo. Just download a good antivirus, set a strong password's and stay away from websites you are unfamiliar with and you will be fine. A little paranoia is healthy but feeling trapped, worn out and fearful is going too far.

I see what you guys are saying but there's something else that I feel you don't understand so I though I should try to make more sense on how I feel.

I guess I feel so paranoid about privacy because I feel sort of ignorant on how the computer works and what I should be careful of. I feel like on computers that personal information is like nakedness I guess and that privacy and security is like clothing and armor so where only I know my nakedness and can protect from threats but I feel afraid of not only the threat of cyber criminals but also the government even if just signing up for an email address because it seems they have inner access to data on computers I guess and that makes me feel uncomfortable that I'm not myself I guess.

I do have to say the government is a very foreign concept to me and I guess that's why I worry so much. It feels like I should because I just suspect they have something going on somehow in the background so that everything we do can be traced or tracked and because of that I feel uncomfortable to leave one and thus do much online. Its not that I want to break the law or anything but I fear the extra control and the insecurity in the ability to compromise our privacy and maybe if they wanted to to somehow even use our data to profile everyone. I don't know.

I do feel my worries do drain and restrain me though. I feel like I have to know everything about computers just to feel comfortable on whether I should do certain things or not but I feel I actually don't know the world of computers much at all in the same way I don't know everything about the real world. I know how to live and all but not much on how everything works and the same with computers so much so that people actually ask me for help and use me to do stuff on them often. I know how to use them ok but not much what's going on in the background if there even is something. I guess only doctors can grasp it but I'm not a computer doctor so I feel helplessly ignorant. I don't know.

You are obviously in the wrong forum. You need to find a good Psychology and Mental Health Forum.<div menubottom="0" menuright="0" menutop="0" menuleft="0" activeid="-1" expanded="0" style="display: none;" id="divCleekiAttrib"></div>

Sorry I freaked you out. I do sound a little freaky there now that I read it but I don't know how to explain why I'm so cautious. I just thought of that analogy the other day but maybe you're right.

Do you really mean what you said or are you just saying that? Honestly I really do feel kind of like I'm depressed I guess and a little out of order but I don't really talk about that on here or anywhere. I'm open for suggestions.