Users can only send encrypted messages to other HushMail accounts. The 1,024-bit encrypted messages cannot be read by anyone else, according to the company.
Users also can set up anonymous accounts.
HushCom USA launched the site with the promise of providing privacy for email senders on the Web. But the complication of exchanging encryption keys, the expense of encryption products, and the complication of negotiating U.S. export law for strong cryptography have kept current privacy solutions from mainstream adoption. HushMail has automated the process, offered it for free, and found a legal way to offer strong encryption. HushMail launches as free email providers and other Web communication tools are becoming more frequent targets of law enforcement and lawyers seeking information on behalf of their clients. We'll have to deal with that issue when we come to it.