Setting up OTR and Pidgin

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Install Pidgin and the OTR plugin
This guide explains how to connect to Facebook through Pidgin and use the OTR plugin for private encrypted communication over Facebook. Follow this guide EXACTLY and you will be able to have private conversations. This means that no one except you and the people you're talking to will be able to read your conversation when you use OTR.

Before starting any of this make sure that you have created a Facebook username. You need to log out of your Facebook and log back in by using the username instead of your email before using Pidgin, or you will get an authorization error. Next install Pidgin by clicking "Download Pidgin". Use the "Next" button to navigate through the installer. After the installation you will be prompted to add a new account by a "Welcome to Pidgin!" message. Do not do so just yet. Next, install the OTR plugin for Pidgin. Restart Pidgin. When it restarts, open the "Plugins" panel under the "Tools" tab. Find the Off-the-Record Messaging plugin, and enable it by selecting the checkbox next to it.

=Connecting to Facebook with encryption for private communication= To start using Facebook through Pidgin, click "Add..." at the "Welcome to Pidgin!" screen. The "Add..." option can also be found under "Accounts" and then "Manage Accounts".

Next, make sure that your settings match the ones in this picture (where the username and password are your own):



Click "Save" and Pidgin will connect to your Facebook account. Next, open a chat with someone you wish to communicate privately with. Under the "OTR" tab select "Start private conversation".



Pidgin and OTR will start a private encrypted communication between you and the individual you are chatting with (Note: Both individuals must be using OTR). Next, in order to confirm that you are in fact having an encrypted conversation with the individual you think you are (not someone pretending to be them), you must set up OTR authentication. This can be done by clicking on the "OTR" tab and then clicking "Authenticate buddy".



After choosing the option to authenticate your buddy, OTR will give you three options for authentication. For this example we have chosen the "Manual footprint verification" option, but you are free to choose whatever you want. Think of your OTR footprint like an identification number. By checking to make sure the OTR footprint is correct, you can make sure you are in fact talking to the right person, and not someone trying to trick you to get information.



And you're done! You can now enjoy privately chatting over Facebook. By using the steps outlined in this guide, you can make sure your messages can't be read by Facebook, police, the Harper Government, or anyone else.

=Connecting to IRC=

To connect to IRC with Pidgin, simply follow the same steps above but select IRC instead of Facebook. Make sure your settings are the same as the ones in the image below, except your username and password should be your IRC nick and password.



=Connecting to I2P's internal IRC=

Note: You must have installed I2P and had it running for around 24 hours before this will work.

To connect to the I2P internal IRC server, simply make sure that your settings are the same as the ones in the picture below, except the sections for username and password should be what you choose to be identified with on the I2P IRC. Obviously, your username should not be something that can be tied to your real identity. Please read the I2P IRC anonymity guide for more information about staying anonymous on IRC.

Some notable channels on I2P IRC include:

- #irc2p

- #opdarknet

- #anonops

- #torrents