Whitfield Diffie

“In the world of the future, the new kingdoms will be kingdoms of the mind.”

“The movement of trusted information is the lifeblood of a modern economy.”

“Encryption is the technical embodiment of a political idea: the right to privacy.”

“We are in the process of creating what will be the nervous system of the human race.”

“What you need for a secure system is a bunch of people who are paranoid.”

“The ability to have private conversations is a fundamental human right.”

“Cryptography is the ultimate form of non-violent direct action.”

“Security is a process, not a product.”

“The central problem with the new privacy is that it is a one-way mirror.”

“The magic of public-key cryptography is that you can have a system where you can send a message that only one person can read, but you don't have to have any prior arrangement with that person.”

“The notion that you can somehow get privacy by obscuring things is a fallacy.”

“I have long been profoundly skeptical about the prospects for regulating government in the name of privacy.”

“There has been a fundamental change in the legislative environment. The people who make the laws have been persuaded that we have to be able to read everything.”