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Encryption is a way of protecting data from unauthorised access or tampering. It works by transforming the data into a secret code that only the intended recipient can decipher. This comes in useful for various cases, such as securing online communications, storing sensitive information, and verifying digital identities.
There are two main types of encryption: symmetric and asymmetric. Symmetric encryption uses the same key to encrypt and decrypt the data, while asymmetric encryption uses a pair of keys: one public and one private. The public key can be shared with anyone, but the private key must be kept secret.
What is end-to-end encryption?
Now that you know what encryption is, it’d be simpler to understand what end-to-end encryption (E2EE) means. The gist is that the term encryption is generally used when referring to the privacy of stored data, while end-to-end encryption protects data as it’s transferred between locations – which is crucial wherever there’s a rapid exchange of information, like in WhatsApp.
For example, say Alice wants to send Bob a secret message. Alice retrieves Bob’s public key from his profile or a trusted key server. She encrypts her message using this public key and sends the ciphertext to Bob. Bob receives the encrypted message and uses his private key to decrypt it. The private key is closely guarded on his device and known only to him. This creates a secure channel only accessible to the endpoints in the conversation.
On the surface, end-to-end encryption seems like an unambiguously good thing – who wouldn’t want their private communications to be secure from prying eyes? But as with most new technologies, the reality is more nuanced.
However, law enforcement and national security agencies argue that the technology hampers their ability to detect dangerous or illegal activities. And they’re not entirely wrong – encryption does make their jobs harder. But many cryptology experts counter that any backdoors or exceptional access created for authorities will inevitably be exploited by others. Strong encryption with no compromises is mathematically the most secure approach