I am aware that I send my messages to HN, they are not forwarded to you but you open the HN page to read my response. HN is more like a message board with message hierarchy. The communication is public, the transmission path is encrypted.

It's more like whispering in your friends ear and she/he writes in down and pins it to a public board. My communication was private, but he/she is a chatterbox and I'm well aware of that.