The End of Privacy?: The Cryptographic War in the Digital Age

Author: Steven Levy
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-06-01
Features: The use of cryptography until recently was a sacred and inviolable domain for computer enthusiasts and government agents. However, in the age of the internet, a group of outsiders broke into this restricted area, sparking a great technological revolution. As Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig famously said, the powerful tools they created were undoubtedly "the most important technological breakthrough in the past 1,000 years." The formidable power of cryptography will provide security for everyone living in this digital world, open the door to our online communication and transactions, and make our private information truly private. It is thought-provoking that this is also a revolution that spies and U.S. federal government officials are trying to suppress. This book is the first to comprehensively describe the cryptography war that shook the digital age, boldly revealing some little-known secrets. Author Steven Levy clearly describes the development of "public" cryptography and its confrontation with the U.S. government, elaborates on privacy issues in the information age, and portrays a group of network elites who are despised by some but are visionary. It was they who boldly predicted 20 years ago that the greatest advantage of the internet (freedom of information access) was also its greatest disadvantage (privacy could end). With the author's vivid prose, these fearless "rebel cryptographers" come to life, and their heroic deeds are nothing short of awe-inspiring. This is a pioneering work that discusses cutting-edge issues in the digital frontier, allowing us to feel the thrilling drama of the era in which we live.