Secure Digital Systems

Prior to modern communication technologies, cryptography served mainly to protect sensitive diplomatic, intelligence, military, and governmental information. The 19th century, with the advent of wired and wireless communications, saw the emergence of a commercial need for cryptography. Businesses and governments increasingly relied on radio and wired technologies, necessitating solutions to counter the growing threat of interception by rivals. This market expanded significantly after World War II as computer technologies amplified the capacity to store and transmit confidential data. The rise of the Internet in the 1990s positioned robust cryptography as a critical enabler for e-commerce, e-government, and secure private online communication for businesses, governments, and individuals. Beyond confidentiality, cryptography became central to electronic authentication, safeguarding passwords and credentials, and verifying identities and documents through digital signatures. Following its deregulation, cryptography evolved into a foundational security technology for digital communication, storage, and authentication. This facilitated the migration of offline economic and social activities to the online sphere, fostering substantial digital innovation.

Whether consciously perceived or not, cryptography is pervasive in the digital landscape, underpinning all valuable applications of digital technologies. It forms a fundamental security cornerstone for business, governmental, and individual digital activities, as well as for safeguarding fundamental rights like privacy and data protection. Cryptography empowers stakeholders to exercise the right to confidential exchanges in remote communications, mirroring the privacy afforded in face-to-face interactions.