Usable Encryption Enabled by AJAX

Open source encryption technologies have been widely available for over 15 years, yet even today the vast majority of email is transmitted over the Internet in plaintext. While studies indicate that most novice users of the Internet are aware of viruses, spy ware and online fraud such as phishing, very few know what encryption is, or how to use it to protect their email communications during transit. The authors believe that the primary barrier to adoption by novice users of encryption technologies is usability. The authors have developed a product that uses AJAX technology to offer users a desktop-like user interface experience similar to popular mail user agents while offering end to end encryption seamlessly and transparently. In the hopes that this technology reaches a wide audience, the authors have released the source code of the product under the GNU General Public License