AI EncyclopediaAISafety & rules
Encryption
암호화
A technology that scrambles content so that only someone with the key can read it.
Overview
Encryption scrambles text or files with set mathematical rules so they cannot be understood. Only the right key can turn them back. Online banking, online payments, messaging apps and phone locks are all protected by encryption.
When only the sender and the receiver hold the keys, and even the service in the middle cannot see the contents, it is called end-to-end encryption. Some of the codes widely used today could be broken once a large enough quantum computer exists, so the switch to new codes that can resist it is under way.
An everyday example
It is like sending a letter in a locked box. The person delivering it can carry the box, but without the key they cannot read the letter inside.
Why it matters
The more data you hand to AI services, the more it matters whether that data is encrypted on its way and where it is stored. It is also why talk of codes always comes up in quantum computer news.