[Pecos_Bill (OP)]

A man on the radio was speaking about the inadequacy of current internet security protocols.

He said the we should use "distributed security". He said it has been around - in various forms- since ancient Greece.

I remember a steganography thing with writing on the edge of a sash used by the Spartans, but what is modern "distributed security" when it's at home?

[RD]

What exactly is "distributed security"

Could be public-key cryptography where the public key is "widely distributed".

I remember a steganography thing with writing on the edge of a sash used by the Spartans ...

There are digital versions of steganography , where a message (which may be encrypted) , is hidden in another digital file , the carrier file may be text / image / sound .

[yor_on]

you have it on the Internet. PGP (pretty good privacy) for example. http://cryptography.org/getpgp.htm
And 'distributed security' http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc767123.aspx

PGP using 256 bits (or more) encryption, the free-ware (as in public source) without back doors, as you can check the source for it, and people do, is the best approach. But I expect that you will draw attention to your emails if they are encrypted, and there are other ways to sift information from your mails etc. Although they can't be read, unless someone get access to your private key, or the person you mail.

I would prefer international laws regulating access instead. But people crave power.