[Cryptography] Questions about crypto that lay people want to understand

[Ron Garret]

On Dec 19, 2015, at 11:22 AM, Henry Baker <hbaker1 at pipeline.com> wrote:

> Why now?  What is it about modern
> society that seems to require crypto
> for us ordinary citizens?

Because before the advent of modern electronic surveillance, people could rely to a certain extent on the laws of physics and social norms to protect their privacy.  Steaming open an envelope and making use of the information thus acquired is orders of magnitude more expensive than snooping on an internet connection.  Internet snooping is also viewed as less invasive than opening an envelope, i.e it's. seen as the equivalent of reading a postcard addressed to someone else as opposed to a letter.  Crypto is the digital equivalent of a physical envelope.

rg