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An encryption algorithm is developed that is somehow proven to be 100% perfect and forever completely unbreakable
 
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A decryption algorithm is developed that is somehow proven to be able to crack any code, no matter how secure, in a small amount of time

 
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jonnyt_

Such a decryption algorithm would completely destroy the internet. You couldn't protect anything. As soon as some idiot wants to wreck something, it is wrecked.

errorblankfeild

No one could spy on other countries... bad people can group up over the internet and plan bad things...

jonnyt_

This is not THAT much different than now. Currently we have encryption that is FUNCTIONALLY unbreakable. This would just remove the extremely unlikely chance that brute force cracking happens to break the key quickly, rather than taking the average time of 100's of years. Especially now that we know P != NP.

Right now we have encryption that is, for all intents and purposes, unbreakable. With this options it would be COMPLETELY unbreakable. Not really much of a difference for day to day life.

jonnyt_

Another point here is that virtually all security breaches are not due to breaking the encryption. Usually it is due to weaknesses in the system which allow a hacker to BYPASS and IGNORE the encryption. Those are still all possible. Again, I think this would make almost no difference.

jonnyt_

One the other hand having no encryption would allow anyone easy access to everything, even if the programmers didn't make any mistakes. Having no encryption, I think, would help those who are already powerful. The reason being that the easiest way to attack something becomes the man-in-the-middle. Just intercept packets and you know everything two computers are sending each other. And who can best do man-in-the-middle attacks? People who run the middle - internet service providers and telecommunications companies.

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