an interesting article about encryption, specifically about PKI (public key infrastructure, such as PGP). It’s entitled Cheaper techniques take on PKI, and this quote is telling: “As the world has moved toward lighter-weight computing, PKI is becoming a tougher sell.”

PKI has always been a tough sell – it’s hard to imagine it being tougher. Regardless it’s an interesting update to the discussion, especially considering that one of the basic tenets of encryption states that security through obscurity is no security at all – and that’s just what it seems some of the newer systems mentioned seem to rely upon.

One thing is clear – if people want the privacy and security they say they do, then some encryption scheme will have to become commonplace. Equally clear – PGP isn’t currently seen as a viable option by general internet users, nor is a system like Freedom (from ZKS) catching on – they’ve reportedly had trouble selling it directly to end users.