BrowserCrypt

Description

The BrowserCrypt extension can be used to encrypt your Piazza posts so that others in your class can read them, but the Piazza company cannot.

Please read the following instructions carefully.

1. Please click on the blue +FREE button in the upper right to install the extension.
2. You will be warned that BrowserCrypt can read and change data on a number of websites. The extension will only interact with Piazza (for encryption and decryption) and possibly with your webmail client (to decrypt Piazza digest messages only). Please choose “Add.”
3. Within Piazza, text fields with a lock icon in the bottom right can be encrypted. Clicking on the lock toggles encryption: when the lock is locked, your post is secure, but when it is unlocked, it is not.
4. Encryption is only supported for plain text posts. If you want to use Piazza's "rich edit" features, such as font formatting, hyperlinks, and attachments, you must switch to the "rich text editor," where encryption will be disabled.
5. Decryption is semi-manual, so you will be asked to click a button to decrypt the encrypted posts, whenever you reload Piazza webpage.
6. If you receive digest emails from Piazza, decryption will be supported in Gmail, Yahoo! mail, Live mail, and the university's Squirrel Mail webmail client.

Remember, to be eligible for the raffle, you must install the extension and post encrypted content at least 3 times in the first 3 weeks (new posts/questions and follow-ups all count).

Thank you again for agreeing to participate in our research.