The History of Encryption

The practice of encoding information so that it can be shared privately is almost as old as writing itself. Around 4,000 years ago, Egyptian monks developed a system of non-standard hieroglyphics to conceal their messages from prying eyes. Julius Caesar deployed what is now called a substitution cipher to send commands to military officers on the front line. Most ordinary people had no need for intricate ciphers in their lives because privacy was already an abundant resource.