# OpenPGP privacy rating

Open standard for public-key encryption and signing of messages and files, defined in RFC 9580. It adds end-to-end encryption to existing channels such as email, through implementations like GnuPG.

## Summary

OpenPGP scores 78 out of 100 (grade B) on the messengers criteria. It meets 5 of 7 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, no phone number needed and decentralized. It partly meets end-to-end encrypted by default. It does not meet metadata protection.

- Website: https://www.openpgp.org
- Source code: https://gitlab.com/openpgp-wg/rfc4880bis
- Home page trackers: none found
- Category: [Messengers](https://privacyratings.com/messengers/)
- Grade: B (78/100)

## Criteria

| Criterion | Answer | Note | Evidence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | Yes | Open IETF standard with open source implementations such as GnuPG (GPL-3.0). | https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9580.html |
| No trackers or telemetry | Yes | The standard has no telemetry, and the GnuPG reference project states it does not track users or share data. | https://www.gnupg.org/privacy-policy.html |
| No ads or data sales | Yes | The reference implementation GnuPG is funded mainly by donations, with no ads. | https://gnupg.org/donate/ |
| End-to-end encrypted by default | Partial | Messages are end-to-end encrypted only when both parties have keys and the sender chooses to encrypt; email is sent in plaintext by default. | https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9580.html |
| No phone number needed | Yes | There are no accounts; keys carry a user ID, usually an email address, and no phone number. | https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9580.html |
| Metadata protection | No | Encryption covers the message body only; senders, recipients and subject lines of the carrying channel stay visible. |  |
| Decentralized | Yes | No central service; keys are generated locally and messages travel over any channel. | https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9580.html |

Source: https://privacyratings.com/messengers/openpgp/
Edit: https://github.com/privacyratings/privacyratings.com/edit/main/ratings/messengers/openpgp.md