Encryption

“It is a lifeline. Without the privacy it gives me, I couldn’t talk to my family back home without being worried that my conversations could be intercepted.”
Alex

A person is holding a mobile phone in their hands. On the screen there’s a padlock symbol. Privacy is crucial for Alex. He relies on the knowledge that his private communications are encrypted so he can message family back home in a country where freedom of speech and freedom of sexuality is restricted. For him, end-to-end encryption isn’t nice to have, it is the only way he can communicate openly with his family.

More than three billion people around the world are believed to use end-to-end encryption message services like WhatsApp and Viber. While law enforcement authorities have found some use the encryption to hide criminal activity, for most this protection of their privacy is nothing more than a bonus. For people like Alex, it is essential.

Encryption is also essential for many businesses. Encrypting people’s information whilst it is being stored protects it from unauthorised access, and it is commonly used to protect information like passwords or financial records.