The Evolution of Encryption
1991 CE - America
The first case of widespread regulation by the government on encryption methods was the publishing of the Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) Program by Phil Zimmerman in 1991. The program was initially intended so that people could use secure BBS systems and store files. The program's source code was openly distributed and no charges were applied for its use. Zimmerman became the target of a criminal investigation when the program began to be distributed internationally. At the time, using systems with over 40 Bits of encryption were considered illegal, and PGP used just under 128. Charges were eventually dropped due to public response, but the regulations are still in place.
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