Multiple recipients encryption

[Doug Barton]

On Fri, 26 Oct 2007, Noiano wrote:

> Hello everybody
> I was wondering about how gnupg works when I encrypt a message for
> multiple recipients.

Imagine that "the encryption" of your message is a giant fence built 
around it. In the fence is a gate, and the gate is secured by a chain. If 
you encrypt the message to only one recipient, one lock is attached to the 
chain, and only the person who has the key to that lock can open it.

Now imagine that you add a second lock, but you add it between the first 
lock and the chain. In other words, the shackle of the second lock passes 
through the chain on one side, and the shackle of the first lock on the 
other. Now the person with key to the first lock can open it, and a person 
with a key to the second lock can open that one. Either person can get 
access to the message by opening their lock, but neither person can open 
the other's lock.

Make sense?

Doug

-- 

 	If you're never wrong, you're not trying hard enough