What is the primary purpose of encryption?

The primary purpose of encryption is to secure data by converting it into a format that is unreadable to unauthorized users. This transformation ensures confidentiality, preventing sensitive information from being accessed or understood by anyone who lacks the proper decryption key or credentials. Encryption is a fundamental aspect of data security, particularly in contexts where sensitive information—such as personal, financial, or proprietary data—needs protection from interception or unauthorized access.

While improving data transmission speed and efficiency, securely storing data in the cloud, and enabling data sharing across multiple platforms are all important aspects of data management and security, they are not the primary goal of encryption itself. Instead, these functions can be enhanced by employing encryption; for instance, secure data transmission can utilize encryption to ensure the data remains confidential throughout its journey. However, the core function of encryption remains focused on protecting the confidentiality of data by making it unreadable to those without proper authorization.