Mozilla Explains Why Encryption Matters Using Thought-Provoking Videos

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 04 Apr 2016

Mozilla is currently running a public education campaign that focuses on something very important: encryption. If you don’t know why encryption is essential and critical to the health of the web, then you definitely need to educate yourself.

I’m not going to bore you with long explanations. What I am going to do is invite you to take a look at the 4 thought-provoking videos Mozilla published. And when you’re done, perhaps you’ll take Mozilla’s pledge to stand up for strong encryption.

Video #1 – Privacy Lets You Be You

What you do online is your own damn businesses. It’s a private matter that should remain private. But without encryption, privacy goes out the window. Others could see your private conversations, view your browsing history, access your emails, and more.




Video #2 – Meet Encryption

There’s a very good chance that you use encryption without even knowing it. When you’re doing your banking online, you’re using encryption. When you log into your online accounts, you’re using encryption. When you send messages to friends and family, you’re using encryption.




Video #3 – Encryption, Journalism, and Free Expression

Encryption is important to you, because it protects your privacy. And it is important to others because it enables them to freely express themselves. Take journalists for example. Encryption shields journalists and their sources, allowing them to present news stories without placing themselves in danger.




Video #4 – Stand Up for Strong Encryption

"Government agencies and law enforcement officials across the globe are proposing policies that will harm user security through weakening encryption," explained Mark Surman, Executive Director of the Mozilla Foundation. "The justification for these policies is often that strong encryption helps bad actors. In truth, strong encryption is essential for everyone who uses the Internet. We respect the concerns of law enforcement officials, but we believe that proposals to weaken encryption — especially requirements for backdoors — would seriously harm the security of all users of the Internet."




Help spread the word

Visit mzl.la/encrypt to learn more about Mozilla’s encryption education campaign, get involved, and sign Mozilla’s pledge to become an encryption champion and stand up for strong encryption.

“We need people to understand and engage with encryption as a core technology that keeps our everyday transactions and conversations safe and private. We’re currently running an awareness campaign to educate users on the importance of encryption. Encryption deserves the same magnitude of support that issues like net neutrality have received,” said Mark Surman.


In related news…

In the midst of Apple’s battle with the FBI, Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver drew attention to the subject by pointing out why strong encryption matters. If you think that Mozilla’s videos are a bit too serious, here’s a more amusing look at why encryption is important.




UPDATE, June 28, 2016: As part of its encryption education campaign, Mozilla has released Codemoji, a fun online tool that lets you use emojis to encrypt text. Encrypted text becomes a string of emojis that you can send to your friends so they can try to decrypt it.



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