=== modified file 'debian/control'
--- debian/control	2011-11-21 15:47:12 +0000
+++ debian/control	2012-01-25 16:09:33 +0000
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 Architecture: all
 Depends: ${python:Depends}, ${misc:Depends}, python, python-apt (>=
  0.6.20ubuntu16), lsb-release, python-gnupginterface,
- unattended-upgrades, iso-codes
+ unattended-upgrades, iso-codes, python-pycurl
 Description: manage the repositories that you install software from
  This software provides an abstraction of the used apt repositories.
  It allows you to easily manage your distribution and independent software

=== modified file 'softwareproperties/ppa.py'
--- softwareproperties/ppa.py	2011-11-21 15:47:12 +0000
+++ softwareproperties/ppa.py	2012-01-25 16:25:05 +0000
@@ -24,13 +24,13 @@
 import re
 import subprocess
 from threading import Thread
-import urllib
-from urllib2 import urlopen, Request, URLError
-from urlparse import urlparse
+import pycurl
 
 DEFAULT_KEYSERVER = "hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com:80/"
 # maintained until 2015
 LAUNCHPAD_PPA_API = 'https://launchpad.net/api/1.0/~%s/+archive/%s'
+# None means use pycurl default 
+LAUNCHPAD_PPA_CERT = None
 
 def encode(s):
     return re.sub("[^a-zA-Z0-9_-]","_", s)
@@ -56,13 +56,30 @@
         sourceslistd, encode(ppa_owner), encode(ppa_name), distro_codename)
     return (line, filename)
 
+class CurlCallback:
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.contents = ''
+
+    def body_callback(self, buf):
+        self.contents = self.contents + buf
+
 def get_ppa_info_from_lp(owner_name, ppa_name):
     lp_url = LAUNCHPAD_PPA_API % (owner_name, ppa_name)
     # we ask for a JSON structure from lp_page, we could use
     # simplejson, but the format is simple enough for the regexp
-    req =  Request(lp_url)
-    req.add_header("Accept","application/json")
-    lp_page = urlopen(req).read()
+    callback = CurlCallback()
+    curl = pycurl.Curl()
+    curl.setopt(pycurl.SSL_VERIFYPEER, 1)
+    curl.setopt(pycurl.SSL_VERIFYHOST, 2)
+    curl.setopt(pycurl.WRITEFUNCTION, callback.body_callback)
+    # only useful for testing
+    if LAUNCHPAD_PPA_CERT:
+        curl.setopt(pycurl.CAINFO, LAUNCHPAD_PPA_CERT)
+    curl.setopt(pycurl.URL, str(lp_url))
+    curl.setopt(pycurl.HTTPHEADER, ["Accept: application/json"])
+    curl.perform()
+    curl.close()
+    lp_page = callback.contents
     return json.loads(lp_page)
 
 class AddPPASigningKeyThread(Thread):
@@ -86,8 +103,8 @@
         owner_name, ppa_name, distro = ppa_path[1:].split('/')
         try:
             ppa_info = get_ppa_info_from_lp(owner_name, ppa_name)
-        except URLError as e:
-            print "Error reading %s: %s" % (lp_url, e)
+        except pycurl.error as e:
+            print "Error reading %s: %s" % (lp_url, e[1])
             return False
         try:
             signing_key_fingerprint = ppa_info["signing_key_fingerprint"]

=== added file 'tests/test_lp.py'
--- tests/test_lp.py	1970-01-01 00:00:00 +0000
+++ tests/test_lp.py	2012-01-25 16:24:53 +0000
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+#!/usr/bin/python
+
+import pycurl
+import unittest
+import sys
+sys.path.insert(0, "..")
+
+import softwareproperties.ppa
+
+class TestLP(unittest.TestCase):
+
+    def test_ppa_info_from_lp(self):
+        # use correct data
+        info = softwareproperties.ppa.get_ppa_info_from_lp("mvo", "ppa")
+        self.assertNotEqual(info, {})
+        self.assertEqual(info["name"], "ppa")
+        # use empty CERT file
+        softwareproperties.ppa.LAUNCHPAD_PPA_CERT = "/dev/null"
+        self.assertRaises(
+            pycurl.error, softwareproperties.ppa.get_ppa_info_from_lp, "mvo", "ppa")
+
+        
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    unittest.main()