When you, like many others, scroll through YouTube shorts or Instagram reels on the Internet, are you ever worried about the privacy of your data, whether it be an IP address or a simple timestamp? Obviously, no one is thinking about these small “informalities” while being engaged with entertaining content, but one should not be too worried about privacy either due to one key feature of the Internet: encryption.

Encryption is the Internet’s mechanism to prevent a user’s personal data from being stolen, sold, or compromised by malicious hackers and data thiefs. Similar to a game of mastermind, the Internet has an algorithm or secret code. This secret code is used to transform a simple sequence of characters, or “plaintext,” into an encoded message known as “ciphertext.” The only way to break this cipher is by using another special code called the deciphering key, which converts a piece of “ciphertext” back into a piece of “plaintext.”

For all practical intents and purposes, these encryption techniques are more than sufficient to prevent massive data breaches on the Internet; however, new technology is threatening these techniques. Namely, this threat comes from quantum algorithms.

To provide some background, quantum algorithms are related to quantum computing. Do not get me wrong, anything with the word “quantum” may sound daunting, but it is just a word that describes anything to do with the interaction of subatomic particles. This new jargon is used because the use of fundamental scientific techniques to describe these subatomic interactions is insufficient. In reality, these scientific techniques are mere approximations, and the sheer small size of these subatomic particles requires more rigorous techniques.

Quantum algorithms are powered by quantum computers. The difference between normal computers and quantum computers is quite surprising. Regular computers are powered by bits that hold a 0 or a 1. These bits help the computer perform tasks. However, quantum computers do not run on bits; they run on qubits or quantum bits. These qubits do not hold a 0 or a 1; rather, they are in a state of superposition, which is just a fancy word to state that qubits can hold multiple states at a time. In other words, a qubit could hold a 0 and a 1 at the same time. This key difference allows a quantum computer to calculate multiple possibilities at the same instant. However, this advantage of quantum computing is also a disadvantage. Qubits hold their superposition for an extremely short amount of time and are damaged when even exposed to minimal noise or outside disturbances.

How does this all connect to Internet encryption? Peter Shor, a professor at MIT, created a quantum algorithm called Shor’s algorithm; the mechanisms behind the algorithm are difficult to understand as coding a quantum algorithm is counterintuitive to normal computer algorithms. This algorithm is capable of factoring prime numbers in polynomial time, which is much faster than even the fastest regular computer algorithm. Specifically, RSA encryption, which is short for Rivest-Shamir-Adelman encryption, utilizes the product of two extremely large prime numbers to encrypt data. In a world with only regular computers, these prime numbers are impossible to factor in any reasonable time (think: a human lifespan). However, with Shor’s algorithm, this encryption would be broken in a matter of seconds or minutes. This means that potentially in the blink of an eye, one’s data could be stolen or sold.

However, this is not something society should worry about just yet. Current modern quantum computers are only powered by tens of qubits, but Shor’s algorithm would require hundreds, potentially taking several years or even decades to achieve this amount of progress. In addition, modern scientists are also working to create quantum-safe encryption algorithms, meaning that even if Shor’s algorithm worked, it would be to no avail. So, the next time you read The Teen View or happily scroll through Tik Tok, remember to appreciate the complexity of its many facets to protect your pet photos, social media accounts, and important passwords.