How To: Send Encrypted Spy Messages Through Gmail on Google Chrome

Have a super secret spy communication you'd like to send out, but don't have the funds to hire your own trusted operatives to deliver the message? Then stick to what you're used to—email it.

SafeGmail is a browser extension that allows you to send encrypted emails right through your regular Gmail account. While this may seem a bit unnecessary for most messages, encrypting your email can definitely be useful.

Every now and then, I actually send an email to the wrong person, whether it's because I mistyped the name or simply just chose the wrong Joe. I'm sure you do it too, and if you deal with important data frequently, this could save you from kicking yourself in the butt.

Right now, SafeGmail is only available for Google Chrome (a Firefox add-on is in the works). When enabled, it adds the choice to encrypt your email by selecting a new "Encrypt" box that becomes available directly in Gmail under the subject line. When checked, you'll need to set a question for the recipient to answer so that they can view the message.

When you hit send, the screen goes grey and takes a few seconds longer than usual to send the email because it's encrypting the message.

The recipient will then receive an email with the encrypted text and a link that they'll need to open up in a new tab. There, they'll be presented with the question. When they answer it, they'll be able to copy the encrypted message from Gmail and paste it to be decrypted.

The video below shows it in action through the use of stick figures.

You can download SafeGmail from the Chrome Store. Stay tuned for the Firefox version!