If you have a mac and use Mac Mail, I found a great step-by-step tutorial on how to set up your mac to send and receive encrypted email.
Why you would ever need to send encrypted email? Well, if you are a web site owner or designer, you should never send passwords over email, because email is readable by any computer (or person) in between your computer and the receiver’s. Or, if you have health information you don’t want to be made public. Or anything private that you don’t want other people seeing, like when you’ll be on vacation, where you live, your social security #, and the list goes on. Unfortunately, strangers on the internet will take advantage of your private information if you let them.
My company, SustainableWebsites.com has hosted web site customers that have been careless about connecting to their email or FTP from an unsecured network such as a coffeeshop or airport wifi. Unfortunately, they have had their emails stolen or web sites hacked. We have an article on web site security tips on our blog.
If you have a mac, and any interest in sending encrypted email (you should!), I recommend this tutorial, because it has screen shots and step-by-step instructions that most people can follow.
If you want to email me securely, you’ll need my public key, in either ascii or binary format, and I’ll need yours. Try out the tutorial and send me your public key.
If encrypted email is too complicated, Skype chat is encrypted. You can also encrypt AIM and iChat with a personal encryption certificate from apple or the OTR (off-the-record) plugin.
If you aren’t on a Mac, you could always use Hushmail or JumbleMe as well.