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Dark Mail Alliance develops surveillance-proof email technology

We wouldn't be surprised if you're looking for a more secure email provider after the whole government surveillance debacle. That's why Lavabit and Silent Circle have joined forces as the Dark Mail Alliance to develop a new snoop-proof email technology. Dark Mail's "Email 3.0" tech applies peer-to-peer encryption not only to the body of the digital missive, but also to its metadata (To:, From: and Subject fields) that third parties are most likely to collect. One downside is that encryption only works between Dark Mail accounts -- messages sent using the tech to Gmail or a Hotmail addresses won't be protected from prying eyes. If the two firms sound familiar, that's because they used to offer secure email services of their own, which shuttered earlier this year. However, they're determined to rise from the ashes and make the tech available to the public via mobile and desktop apps by 2014.

[Image credit: g4ll4is, Flickr]