Rant: My professor told me encryption was just for criminals back in 2012

I took a class at UT Austin about internet policy and the prof spent a whole lecture saying encryption was basically a tool for terrorists and pedophiles. At the time I just nodded along because he was the expert. Fast forward to 2020 when I needed Signal to organize a protest in my hometown safely. That guy was dead wrong and a bunch of people could have gotten in trouble if we had listened to him. Anyone else have a teacher or someone in authority give bad advice about this stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

charles_chen9322d ago

Wait, did you actually need encryption to organize a protest in 2020? Like, couldn't you have just used group texts or met up in person? I feel like the whole encryption thing gets blown way out of proportion. Most people who push for it are either paranoid or hiding something they shouldn't be doing in the first place. Your professor might have been a bit harsh with the criminal label, but honestly, look at how much crime and bad stuff happens on encrypted apps that law enforcement can't touch. Sometimes the old school way of talking face to face is safer and more honest than hiding behind a bunch of code.

the_ruby22d ago

Can I admit I was that kid in high school who thought a "secret code" meant writing notes in pig latin? Look, I get where you're coming from with the face to face thing, but try organizing a protest in 2020 when half your crew is scared to even leave their house and cops are literally tracking car license plates from social media posts. My friend got doxxed just for sharing a flyer on Facebook with her real name, and suddenly her landlord was getting anonymous calls about her "troublemaker tenant." Pig latin wouldn't have helped her out much there, trust me.