GNU bug report logs - #13551
24.3.50; epa-mail-encrypt chooses wrong key

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From: Richard Stallman <rms <at> gnu.org>
To: Lars Ingebrigtsen <larsi <at> gnus.org>
Cc: 13551 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#13551: acknowledged by developer (control message for bug #13551)
Date: Fri, 27 Sep 2019 21:32:21 -0400

[[[ To any NSA and FBI agents reading my email: please consider    ]]]
[[[ whether defending the US Constitution against all enemies,     ]]]
[[[ foreign or domestic, requires you to follow Snowden's example. ]]]

  > I'm not sure I understand.  I think it does do something completely
  > predictable -- choose the key ring entry that matches what's in your
  > "From" header.

We seem to be failing to commnuicate.  My From header always says
"rms <at> gnu.org", but we're talking about the address I am sending to --
in the To field.  Is that what you mean?

The behavior that you describe is totally unpredictable for me because
it depends on data I don't know, and have no other reason to know.
When foo <at> bar.com sends me a key, I don't notice what other addresses
that key covers.  There is no reason to.  And those alternate short
addresses are not listed by epa-list-keys.

If I have a key for 'arthur <at> gnu.org' and another for
'arthur <at> berkeley.edu', it is a nuisice for me to check which one, if
either, lists just 'arthur' as an address.  Especially since when I
send mail to 'arthur <at> gnu.org' I may not even remember I know
'arthur <at> berkeley.edu'.

When I send mail to just 'arthur', that is equivalent by default to
'arthur <at> gnu.org'.  I often omit '@gnu.org' knowing this.

Encryption should do the same thing: treat 'arthur' as short for
'arthur <at> gnu.org'.  That way it will always encrypt for the person that
the mail is going to.

-- 
Dr Richard Stallman
Founder, Free Software Foundation (https://gnu.org, https://fsf.org)
Internet Hall-of-Famer (https://internethalloffame.org)

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