The Internet is Going Dark; Here’s Why

The internet is going dark. This may not, however, be happening in the fashion you might expect. The internet is based on an open system — its protocols and systems are build on freedom of speech. Anyone on the internet can talk to everyone else. Any computer or device connected to the world-wide web can navigate to Google or Facebook. In the past, data was sent “In the clear,” between devices. This means that all data was sent without any form of encryption or scrambling of data.

Today that basic principal is, however, changing. Many businesses and websites on the internet are adopting encryption. The process of encryption is simple. Data is scrambled so that only the recipient can decode and understand the output. The reasons behind encryption vary, but most often the main reason is driven by privacy concerns. The move toward encryption started in the medical and banking industries but grew to encompass the entire industry. Today, no one should even consider entering private or confidential information to a site that is not secure.

One somewhat intended consequence of the encryption revolution on the internet is the fact that governments and agencies that are watching internet traffic no longer have a view into the traffic that traverses the internet. This often makes government regulators and policy makers unhappy. In the past law enforcement and…