The article recounts the tale of Stanford researchers who challenged the U.S. government’s monopoly on cryptography in the 1970s. Introducing revolutionary cryptographic principles, their work drew ire from the NSA, sparking a battle between privacy-conscious technologists and security-focused government officials. Facing legal threats for publishing their findings, the researchers prevailed, initiating the democratization of cryptographic tools. The conflict exposed the NSA’s control tactics, influencing research funding and national standards to limit the spread of high-grade cryptography. Ultimately, the researchers’ perseverance led to widespread public discourse and technological advancement in cryptography.
https://stanfordmag.org/contents/keeping-secrets