In the last few years phones and apps have been touting themselves as better than other phones/services because their messaging has end-to-end encryption, or some other variant of secure messaging. Why do we care?
Edit: Thanks for the answers, everyone!
In: 140
Okay, imagine you have a super secret message that you want to send to your friend. But you don’t want anyone else to know what’s inside the message, like a secret code just for you two. End-to-end encryption is like putting that message inside a magic lockbox that only you and your friend have keys to.
This lockbox is special because even if someone tries to peek inside while the message is on its way from you to your friend, they can’t understand it because it’s all scrambled up. Only when it reaches your friend’s special key can it unscramble and become readable again. This way, no one else, not even the people who help deliver the message, can read what’s inside.
End-to-end encryption is important because it helps keep our private stuff, like messages, pictures, and secrets, safe from anyone who might try to snoop around. It’s like having a secret code that only you and your friend know, so your things stay just between you two.
But sometimes, there are situations where we might not need this super secret protection. Like when we’re posting something public on social media, we’re okay with many people seeing it. So, for those things, we might not need the magic lockbox. But for stuff we want to keep really private, like personal messages, that’s when the magic lockbox of end-to-end encryption comes in handy!
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