June 5 was Reset the Net day, when nearly 60 organizations came together to on the one-year anniversary of Edward Snowden’s infamous National Security Agency leaks to make a stand against government surveillance of the Internet.
Reset the Net was more than just an online demonstration, though — it’s a project with specific and achievable goals designed to enhance the security of ordinary Internet users. Reset the Net is petitioning Web developers to add NSA-resistant technologies to existing sites and services. Specifically, the collective wants them to use SSL (Secure Socket Layer), HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security) and Perfect Forward Security.
Some of these technologies are already commonplace, but none are ubiquitous. SSL, for example, is used by many sites to ensure that all data exchanged between a Web browser and a web site remains encrypted in both directions. But with many sites, including some trading in sensitive data, don’t use the security technology.
[Source: cbsnews.com,June 9, 2014]