With the advent of current research into quantum computers, current cryptography will soon become obsolete. As soon as the first large-scale quantum computer is working, relying on the factorization of large numbers will no longer secure any data. This requires research into new forms of cryptography that a quantum computer could not crack.

However, within the past few years, a new and superior form of cryptography has come into play. Quantum cryptography uses two quantum properties, one being entanglement, or to be able to send encoded information over a distance without the ability of a third party to intercept the data. The quantum principle of entanglement says that atoms can be connected in a way that defies time and all logic by being instantaneously aware of the others’ position. In this way, data could be sent based on that connection. Another process called polarization which polarizes an atom’s charge is also relevant. If there are only two modes, the sender will randomly choose one mode for each atom, as will the receiver, and the charges that are the same will serve as the basis to decryption. Also, because this is so secure, the sender and receiver can openly talk about which modes were used. If anyone had tried to intercept the information, because of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, he/she would not be able to measure both modes. Also the sender and receiver would notice errors in the data when checked.

Quantum cryptography, discovered from quantum computer research, however, is already commercially used. A company by the name of id Quantique sells Network Security and optical instrumentation based on and used for quantum cryptography. They sell hardware for optical instrumentation, some of which can detect single photons and others of which use short-pulse lasers, and other quantum cryptography technologies. Other groups who are researching quantum cryptography are MagiQ Technologies, Silicon Graphics, Inc., Qucor Pty Ltd and the University of Melbourne, Australia, and many more. In the past few years, research on quantum computers has skyrocketed. One man, Mark Byrd, assistant professor of physics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, was granted $400,000 from The National Science Foundation for a five year study.

Taking a trip into the world of spies and classified information, quantum computers (computers constructed from individual particles rather than the larger in comparison transistors used today) suddenly seem almost threatening to national security. Governments often use 200 digit or longer RSA and DES codes which are codes for classified information. RSA codes are named after their inventors Ronald Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman. This kind of coding involves factorization, which, when talking about the 200 or more digit long codes that are used for sensitive information, it is beyond our current capabilities to crack. When/if quantum computers become a definite reality, then those RSA and DES codes will no longer be protected by their immensity. The recent Transformers movie showcased the use of quantum computing to break through government defenses. Therefore, quantum computers could crack a code exploited by intelligence agencies that uses factoring of insanely large numbers.

Quantum cryptography has caught national attention, though mostly in the world of academia. Articles like “Best Kept Secrets: Quantum cryptography has marched from theory to laboratory to real products” from the January 2005 issue of Scientific American January highlight this cutting edge technology as well as discusses some important societal implications. In April of 2008, a group from the Linköping University in Sweden was reported to have cracked this unbreakable new coding technology. It involves the way that the key is transmitted between the sender and receiver. Although this is a very important loophole to consider, as long as the public key can be transmitted securely through classical cryptography, it shouldn’t be too big of a problem.

This new technology is a nanomachine. It works on much smaller scale than other nanotechnology, yet once the kinks are worked out, will be a very powerful tool in keeping private information private. For example, current US policies, such as the Patriot Act, give the government unchecked authority to read e-mails, tap phone lines, and access any information from medical records to library records. In a world which uses quantum cryptography, it will be impossible for a government to monitor and access information that, by the laws of physics, is completely secure. This may detrimental to domestic security, but essential to preserving the right to privacy.