Protecting your Electronic Rights

May 5th, 2011
Help bring disk encryption to the Ubuntu Live CD
Call To Action by Micah Lee

Ubuntu Linux has quickly become the most popular GNU/Linux distribution in use on workstation computers. Ubuntu is user-friendly, doesn’t cost a dime, and is powered by open source software. One of Ubuntu’s best features is full disk encryption, an important security and privacy feature that keeps data on your hard drive scrambled in case it’s lost, seized, stolen, or if you choose to sell or give away your computer in the future.

Right now most users don’t even realize that Ubuntu offers full disk encryption because the option is not included in the popular default Live CD installer. Instead you have to use the text-based alternate CD to install Ubuntu with disk encryption. If we ever hope to make it common practice for laptop users to encrypt their drives, encryption needs to be in the default installation – not some special alternate installation.

We can do something about this! Ubuntu Brainstorm is a simple way to contribute ideas and to have the community to vote on them. Ideas that get lots of votes gain the attention of the developers. If you care about getting full disk encryption built-in to the Ubuntu Live CD installer, please create an Ubuntu Brainstorm account and vote on this idea.

Why encrypt your hard drive?

Encrypting your hard drive protects your privacy and your data in case your computer is lost, seized, stolen, or otherwise ends up in someone else’s hands. Police are unlikely to access your encrypted data without your cooperation or a court order, so using disk encryption makes it much more difficult for them to violate your Fourth Amendment rights that protect you from unreasonable search and seizure. …more