Perspective by: Bill Laboon, vice president of Ecosystem at the Web3 Foundation
Recently, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, exhibited a rare moment of authenticity in a tech landscape often marked by hastily made promises. He advised users to refrain from sharing anything with ChatGPT that they wouldn’t want seen by a human. The United States Department of Homeland Security has already taken notice.
His caution highlights a deeper reality that underpins our entire digital ecosystem. In an age where it’s increasingly challenging to ascertain whether we’re interacting with a human, it becomes apparent that software often serves as the communicator, not people. This growing ambiguity is more than a mere technical hurdle; it threatens the core trust that binds society.
This should prompt us to contemplate not only AI but also something fundamentally more significant, older, subtler, and vital in the digital sphere: encryption.
In a world increasingly influenced by algorithms and autonomous systems, trust has never been more essential.
Encryption is our foundation
Encryption transcends a mere technical aspect; it forms the bedrock of our digital existence. It secures everything from private messages to global financial systems, authenticates identities, and facilitates trust across borders and institutions.
Importantly, this trust cannot be recreated through regulations or replaced by policies. When trust erodes, when institutions falter, or power is abused, encryption is what remains. It acts as a safety net, ensuring that our most sensitive information remains secure, even when trust is lacking.
A cryptographic system is unlike a house equipped with doors and windows. It is a mathematical agreement; precise, rigid, and intended to be unbreakable. In this context, a “backdoor” is not merely a secret entry point but a defect ingrained in the logic of the contract, and just one defect can dismantle the entire agreement. Any weakness introduced for a specific purpose could serve as an entry point for all, from cybercriminals to authoritarian regimes. Built entirely on trust through robust, unbreakable code, the whole construct collapses once that trust is damaged. And right now, that trust is endangered.
A blueprint for digital feudalism
The European Commission’s ProtectEU initiative suggests a framework that mandates service providers to scan private messages directly on users’ devices before encryption is applied. This effectively transforms personal devices into surveillance instruments and undermines the integrity of end-to-end encryption. While state entities would never accept such vulnerabilities in their own secure systems, this requirement establishes a different, weaker standard of security for the public.
At first glance, it appears to be a justifiable compromise: enhanced encryption for government bodies, with so-called “lawful access” to citizen data. Yet, what it proposes is a fundamental imbalance where the state encrypts, while the public remains decrypted.
Related: EU considers crypto oversight under ESMA to unify supervision
This isn’t merely a security strategy. It’s a plan for digital feudalism — envisioning a future where privacy becomes a privilege for the powerful, rather than a right for all. This two-tier encryption shifts the trust balance away from democratic accountability and solidifies a structure of control that no free society should tolerate. Let’s be clear: This discussion isn’t centered on safety; it’s about control.
We shouldn’t inhabit a world where only the influential can enjoy privacy.
In an era characterized by pervasive AI, state-backed hacking, and widespread digital surveillance, undermining encryption is not only shortsighted but constitute a systemic recklessness. For those of us inhabiting the decentralized sphere, this is not an abstract discussion; it’s a pressing issue. Strong, unbreakable encryption is far more than a technical detail; it’s the foundation upon which everything else relies.
Truth by verification
This is why Web3’s mission must remain anchored in its fundamental promise: truth. Not truth dictated by authority, but truth established through verification. This principle of a self-executing agreement is precisely why authentic decentralized systems are created without a key master or institution holding the keys. Introducing a backdoor contradicts this, reintroducing a central point of failure and violating the essence of a trustless system. Security exists in a binary state: it is either available for everyone or guaranteed for none.
Fortunately, these principles are not merely theoretical. The cryptographic advancements emerging from this domain — zero-knowledge proofs that confirm truths without revealing information, and proof-of-personhood systems that thwart Sybil attacks without sacrificing privacy — provide a tangible, viable alternative, demonstrating that we need not choose between security and freedom.
The irony is glaring: The very field currently facing threats possesses the tools necessary to create a more secure, open digital future. One founded not on surveillance or gatekeeping but on unrestricted innovation, cryptographic trust, and individual dignity.
If we aspire to a digital realm that is secure, inclusive, and resilient, then robust encryption must persist as strong and universally applied for everyone.
Not because we have secrets to conceal, but because we all have something worth protecting.
Perspective by: Bill Laboon, vice president of Ecosystem at the Web3 Foundation.
This article is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as legal or investment advice. The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Cointelegraph.
