Big thanks to to iSpider.pl for pointing me towards FreeEnigma, a Firefox extension which can encrypt/decrypt webmail messages on the fly:
FreeEnigma brings cryptography to webmail, with an ingenious set of free and open browser plug-ins that work with Yahoo, Gmail, and others. The plugins implement a version of GPG (the free/open version of Pretty Good Privacy) and scramble and de-scramble the text in your webmail before you send it and after you receive it, reducing the amount of information that webmail providers have on your communications.
Those who know me know that I am a big proponent of encryption. My reasons are mainly philosophical. Email is normally sent in plain-text, which means anyone between the sender and the recipient can read that email. Add in the fact that our current administration seems to truly believe it is legal to snoop on all communication within and without this country, and you have the possibility for a very bad situation. Encrypting email might make using email a little more difficult, but it is worth it to help enhance one’s privacy.
FreeEnigma is currently doing a roll-out by invitiation. If you are interested, you can sign up for an invite on their website.
