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Comment by iamshs | Hacker News Reader

Ah. How are they gonna transmit data? What a temporary solution to a permanent problem, using a technology that must have been cracked a century ago. Btw why would you go outside to discuss private matters? Wow. Now instead of playing into one agency's hand, play into all world's. Especially, now that everybody knows India discusses private matters in gardens. Horrific.

India should totally adopt lavabit.

Incompetent and embarrassing bit: They use yahoo address for one of the consulates in Iran: http://www.indianembassy-tehran.ir/consulates_iran.php

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Yahoo! and Google ids are very widely used across the full spectrum of government and bureaucracy in India, in large parts because the official email offered by government body NIC is horribly unusable.

Take a look at the email ids for officials, including cabinet ministers, in India's Ministry for Communications and IT: http://deity.gov.in/content/people-and-offices

Aside from being a massive security risk it's also hugely embarrassing to some of us Indians.

That is why something like lavabit is important for India.

You keep mentioning Lavabit, even after they shut down?

So? The model/architecture behind lavabit is what should be replicated for all government communications. Don't provide it to citizens maybe, but do safeguard their own communication.

Fair enough. You meant "a service similar to Lavabit" and I was reading it as "Lavabit", especially because your first comment said "India should totally adopt Lavabit".

Embarrassing indeed. They were mulling stopping govt employees to stop using gmail and yahoo. http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-08-30/news... . But I guess the education has to start from Minister of Communication & IT who is using a gmail address.

While the first picture of a typewriter that comes to the mind is an archaic, metallic, clunky one, the story doesn't really give more details to complete the picture.

Perhaps the typewriters are noiseless, electronic ones, with a touch-based input system? Perhaps, they generate characters which can't be traced (with the help of randomized glitches for example). And perhaps they only use paper which is not traceable (if such a thing exists).

> Ah. How are they gonna transmit data?

If there only were some sort of non-electronic version of email.

Which means interception and time limits.

Send it with a person in a diplomatic bag. If it gets intercepted it will be an international incident and you'll know 100% of the time that you are compromised.

Fair enough. But it also imposes time limits for critical communication.

Yes and they may use other avenues when required. As much as I sing songs about incompetence and ineptitude of most government offices (of my country), they do have a knack to survive (or competing forces are just as inadequate, take your pick).

I supposed one can use carrier pigeons or trained ravens.

Or even an electronic device capable of digitizing a sheet of paper and sending it over some communication system such as a phone line. It would make facsimiles of the original... I guess we could call it a facs machine for short?

//How are they gonna transmit data// Pigeons of course!

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