This is interesting information. I have to check with the person who built the site wether this is true or not.

The only thing I can say is that the information I got from the secrets is the secret itself. I have no possibility to connect a secret with a person. 

Anyway this information makes my statement even more clear: "They" are able to check everything from us.

I'm convinced that even if there would be a genius encryption system on the site "they" would be able to hack it.

The fact our virtual information is possibly hacked must be a challenge for all of us to think about new ways of using internet, mail, facebook etc.

A friend of mine sent me a link to a recent project of yours (http://www.atelierblanchefosse.nl/SCRTS-CNFSSNS/index.php), and while I like the idea I have a couple issues with the implementation...

First, all data submitted to the form is transmitted to the server as plain-text, which directly contradicts your statement that "all revelations will be encrypted before sending." Sending the data in plain-text form allows anyone spying on your users to see exactly what they wrote. And since this data is received and processed by the server, anyone with access to the server will also have access to the plain-text data.

Second, the returned string appears to simply be a base64-encoded copy of the submitted text. This is not encryption, and does not make the original text difficult to recover. The base64 version of the text is the exact same content, simply represented in a different manner. It's equivalent to rewriting the decimal number 2 in binary as 10.

These combined ensure that nothing about this is either secure or anonymous, which seems to go against the motivation for your project. If you actually receive confessions which could be of interest to an organization like the NSA, you have done nothing to safeguard the privacy of your contributors and may be doing them a disservice by giving them a false sense of security. And if none of the confessions you receive could be of interest to such an organization, then why have the "encryption" step at all?

It's also not clear to what extent you have access to the server at atelierblanchefosse.nl, and you do not publish the code you're running or discuss its implementation. To me, this raises the question of whether the submissions are even anonymous from your perspective, and to what extent the server retains logs of these sessions.

I would suggest at a minimum to at least serve the page over HTTPS. It would also be nice if you encrypted the data on the client-side (in Javascript, perhaps), so the server never sees the unencrypted content. Ideally this could be done with a public key you create for yourself, then you could decrypt the data with your private key and have some degree of confidence that you are the only one with the decrypted data (you could use something like GnuPG to generate the keys: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Privacy_Guard ). Doing this will ensure that even if someone was being monitored by NSA or another organization, all the org would know is that they visited your page, not what they wrote.

It would also be nice (just as a generally-reassuring gesture) if you shared on your project page some more detail about how the server is handling the data you receive, perhaps by publishing the source code you're running and discussing the extent to which user data is logged by the system.

I apologize if my tone is a little harsh, and I hope that this is more informative than anything. I would love to see people become more aware of cryptography in general, and to think more about how their data moves through the 'net.

There have been some questions about the safety of the site.
Are your confessions really anonymous and hidden for the eyes of a spying government.
The only thing I can assure is that I receive every message in such a way that it's for me impossible to track the sender. 
The basic idea of the project is that all information on the web can be viewed by organizations like NSA. That's why we have to be aware of how we're using the web. It would be an illusion to think that the encrypt button on the site is a guaranty for safety. Maybe it's an idea to invite someone during the period of the show to explain a bit about the possibilities of encryption, the use of special browsers, providers etc..
For now the only thing I can say that if you have any doubts about your safety after typing your secret then don't.
I'm not asking for confessions like: "I'm a terrorist". Simply if you think about what happened in the past just being a Christian, Jew, Templar, Cathar or being Gay, Bisexual, Capitalist or Communist, makes it clear that even a simple confession that's in no way threatening under our political or religious regime, can be very threatening if there is a sudden change.   

SECRETS & CONFESSIONS





AN INSTALLATION ABOUT FREEDOM, PRIVACY AND SAFETY 



The project started!
If you like to collaborate in the installation just click on the link and follow the instructions.
http://www.atelierblanchefosse.nl/SCRTS-CNFSSNS

The facebook logo 

of my project 

SCRTS&CNFSSNS

Under the name scrts&cnfssns I will make an installation in gallery "De Witte Slagerij".
The website to collect peoples secrets and confessions will be in the air somewhere next week. As soon as the site is in the air you will find a link on the blog to join the project.

SCRTS&CNFSSNS

We all know that Big Brother is watching us. But ever since Edward Snowden revealed the scale in which intelligence services, like NSA, are following us we have to ask ourselves some questions concerning our freedom, privacy and safety.

What will happen if the political situation suddenly changes?

What will happen if a fundamental religious group takes over?

All information about our lives can suddenly be used against us.

Our phones are tapped; our emails checked; our browsing histories recorded; our purchases are listed by our credit cards; our cars are tracked on the highways; we are being videoed in streets and in shops. And so on.

Now this is what I'm curious about:
Which of our secrets and confessions would really need to be covered for the eyes of an unknown secular or religious government?

To make a statement I will make an art installation in a gallery in Rotterdam, Holland, with as many confessions, revelations and secrets as possible. This gallery is a former butcher shop and its walls are fully tiled.

I will add your secrets or confessions in black on white or white on black on those tiles.

The graphic pattern created by all these secrets and confessions will be my personal encrypted secret.

For this installation I want to work with real secrets, and that's why I need you.

I want to ask you to share your deepest thoughts with me.

If you want to share your secrets or confessions with me, I would be very grateful. You will be part of an artistic statement for freedom, privacy and safety.

All revelations will be encrypted before sending and I will receive your encrypted messages as sender unknown.

A computer program will then decode your message.  

The website will be in the air september 24

4 juli gedachtes

Vanochtend kreeg ik een berichtje op facebook om een petitie te tekenen om de Duitse regering te porren Edward Snowden asiel te verlenen. Edward Snowden is de man die het spionage programma PRISM van de VS openbaar heeft gemaakt. Wikipedia omschrijft PRISM als: PRISM is a clandestine national security electronic surveillance program operated by the United States National Security Agency (NSA) since 2007.^{[1][2][3][Notes 1]} PRISM is a government code name for a data-collection effort known officially by the SIGAD US-984XN.
Even voordat ik de petitie ondertekende kreeg ik een idee om voor de installatie in de witte slagerij een random programma te starten. Iedereen die dat zou willen kreeg de opdracht een tegeltje te vullen met zwarte vlakken en/of lijnen conform een aantal regels die ik van te voren zou geven. 
Combinatie van dit idee met het bericht over Edward Snowden bracht me op de volgende gedachte:
Als wij niet meer willen dat Big Brother al ons virtueel verkeer bespioneert dan moeten we alles gaan coderen. Als elke bezoeker van de Witte Slagerij nu eens een aantal privé gegevens, diepe gedachten, ideologieën, principes etc met een "not permanent" marker op een tegel in de muur zou schrijven en daarna die tegel met zwarte vlakjes volgens mijn regels zou beplakken dan krijgen we een wand die binnen mijn concept past maar tevens een hommage is aan Edward Snowden.