When you hear the word encryption, what comes to mind? Take a moment…

Upon asking this question to others, answers range from nice and clear, such as “safety” to challenging and obtuse, such as “hard to use”. It’s not unexpected to see why such a range of responses come to mind. Encryption is an idea, a set of tools, part of a toolchain, or an action that one takes. Turning to a practical description of encryption, from Cloudflare, we see:

What is encryption?

Encryption is a way of scrambling data so that only authorized parties can understand the information. In technical terms, it is the process of converting human-readable plaintext to incomprehensible text, also known as ciphertext. In simpler terms, encryption takes readable data and alters it so that it appears random. Encryption requires the use of a cryptographic key: a set of mathematical values that both the sender and the recipient of an encrypted message agree on.

This definition already closely matches our ad-hoc survey from earlier, “safety” === “only authorized parties can understand the information” and “hard to use” === the rest of the description.

Why should we care about encryption? After all, if you do nothing wrong, what’s there to hide? This is a common sentiment on why people are lax on security. Computer crime is often invisible to end-users. Ever receive a mailing from a service provider stating your own data, just one of many who’s information “may” have been stolen? It’s usually at these points in time where we wonder if our data is safe in the hands of those holding it.

In today’s interconnected landscape, where our lives unfold online—from social interactions to financial transactions—encryption has become a vital safeguard. Every day, we trust digital platforms with personal details. Encryption serves as a protective barrier, defending these interactions against cyber threats. In an era marked by data breaches and identity theft, strong encryption is more important than ever. It acts as a shield, deterring cybercriminals and ensuring that our private lives remain just that—private.

But encryption isn’t solely about protection; it represents a broader principle of freedom. In places where information is controlled, encryption empowers individuals to communicate without the fear of surveillance or retaliation. It underscores the belief that privacy is not just a luxury but a fundamental right.

Events such as Global Encryption Day (GED) are opportunities for the Internet community to come together and rally around best practices in protecting our data. Even the most well intentioned developer can make mistakes when implementing encryption as part of a security process. GED events provide ways to train and share knowledge around encryption usage.

GED is for everyone, not only developers or security experts. It’s for anyone placing data in harm’s way. Does your mobile app encrypt its data? GED events meet you where you’re at, from concepts to complex implementation. GED keeps encryption alive by helping us use it.

By attending a local GED event (e.g. https://gedsf.org), you not only invest in yourself but all of us, the Internet community.

Global Encryption Day is an annual event organized by the Global Encryption Coalition (GEC). GED is on 21-October, local editions happen throughout the month of October. GEDSF is a local GED hybrid event based in San Francisco put on by the local chapters of the Internet Society and Association for Computing Machinery.

Ronald Petty – Internet Society – San Francisco Bay Area Chapter & SF Bay ACM

Tom Thorley – Internet Society – Los Angeles Southern California Chapter

1. https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/ssl/what-is-encryption/
2. https://www.globalencryption.org/2024/07/global-encryption-day-2024/
3. https://www.globalencryption.org/
4. https://gedsf.org/
5. https://www.sfbayisoc.org/
6. https://www.isoc-la-socal.org/
7. https://www.sfbayacm.org/