Cryptography as information control

Area of Science:

• History of Science and Technology
• Computer Science
• Sociology of Technology

Background:

• The 1960s and 1970s saw significant shifts in the perception and application of cryptography.
• Growing concerns over government surveillance fueled a demand for enhanced privacy and information control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the transformations in the meaning of cryptography during the 1960s and 1970s.
• To analyze the socio-political context that led to the invention of public key encryption.
• To understand the impact of public key encryption on the discourse surrounding privacy and surveillance.

Main Methods:

• Archival research into historical documents and communications.
• Historical analysis of technological and political environments.
• Examination of the evolving consensus among cryptographers.

Main Results:

• Public key encryption emerged from a consensus on the importance of privacy, partly in response to government surveillance.
• Cryptography became central to efforts to control information during a period of sociopolitical change.
• The invention of public key encryption altered perceptions of cryptography and offered a specific technical solution to surveillance concerns.

Conclusions:

• The invention of public key encryption marked a paradigm shift in cryptography's role and potential applications.
• This technological advancement provided a means to assert control over information in an increasingly networked world.
• While offering a solution, public key encryption also shaped the discourse and potentially limited alternative approaches to surveillance.