Gadgetory

encryption has become a major debate recently but why does it matter recently Apple wrote an open letter to the US government explaining why forcing companies to insert a backdoor could be a bad idea today most devices utilize some form of encryption to protect your info and they've been getting better and better many new Android phones for example can require a password before they even turn on which is a lifesaver if your phone falls into the wrong hands you can think of encryption as a lock for your digital life as soon as you lock your device everything will stay nice and secure thanks to encryption unless you happen to have the key this key can take a few forms from simple four-digit pen a more elaborate password or even your fingerprint just like the difference between an old-school key and high-tech retina scanner though your choice of password matters if you have a four-digit pen of one two three four it would be able to be cracked almost instantly where a longer phrase like hey guys this is Austin would essentially never be able to be brute forced this is because passwords get exponentially more difficult to break the more complex they are with a four-digit number there are only 10,000 possible combinations where a phrase like hey guys this is Austin has 766 septillion different possibilities that's a number with 24 zeros behind it so good luck guessing unless you happen to watch my videos on the iPhone there's one more safeguard a self-destruct button with the erase data option enabled after 10 failed passcode attempts the phone will throw away the encryption key and reset making your information essentially impossible to recover it's important to remember this isn't foolproof it only applies today that's on your phone as soon as you upload something to an online account you don't own the key anymore most companies like Google and Microsoft have good track records of keeping your info safe but if they don't control the key to your data it doesn't matter there are multiple laws in the works that would force companies to leave in a back door to unlock phones in certain situations this could be a good thing but it's the equivalent of leaving your back door open you never know who might take advantage with so much relies in the digital world strong encryption is incredibly important to have any sense of security the next time someone asks why encryption matters show them this agree or disagree at least understand why it's important