{"id":650171,"date":"2017-03-17T08:37:38","date_gmt":"2017-03-17T08:37:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/"},"modified":"2017-03-17T08:37:38","modified_gmt":"2017-03-17T08:37:38","slug":"how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"How public key cryptography shaped the modern economy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Without public key cryptography, we would not have the internet as we know it<\/strong>, economist Tim Harford says on his BBC-produced 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy<\/a> podcast. We use cryptography every time we send a work email, buy something online, or use a banking app. Harford tells the story of public key cryptography \u2013 and the battle between the geeks who developed it, and the government which tried to control it. It all started with scientists who managed to turn the Diffie\u2013Hellman theory<\/a> into a practical technique called RSA encryption \u201cSome mathematics are much easier to perform in one direction than another. Take a very large prime number \u2026 then take another. Multiply them together. That\u2019s simple enough and gives you a very, very large \u2018semi-prime\u2019 number. That\u2019s a number that\u2019s divisible only by two prime numbers. Now, challenge someone else to take that semi-prime number a figure out which two prime numbers were multiplied together to produce it. That, it turns out, is exceptionally hard. Public key cryptography works by exploiting this difference\u201d (runtime 09:10).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Without public key cryptography, we would not have the internet as we know it, economist Tim Harford says on his BBC-produced 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy podcast. We use cryptography every time we send a work email, buy something online, or use a banking app. Harford tells the story of public key cryptography […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-feature.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_primary_brand":0,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8317],"tags":[72,1797],"brand":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"class_list":["post-650171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-listen-to-this","tag-enterpriseam","tag-listen-to-this","wpautop","entry"],"acf":{"mongo_id":"95f03936-65a3-4e59-adf6-d104d7bcef3e","order":"0","is_powered_by":true,"section_story_id":"73d2c210-0ab6-4edc-83f2-eabdb2000c48","story_type":"1","photo_url":"","photo_position":"above","related_issue":[650141],"teaser":"","voice_url":""},"yoast_head":"\nHow public key cryptography shaped the modern economy - EnterpriseAM Egypt<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How public key cryptography shaped the modern economy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Without public key cryptography, we would not have the internet as we know it, economist Tim Harford says on his BBC-produced 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy podcast. We use cryptography every time we send a work email, buy something online, or use a banking app. Harford tells the story of public key cryptography […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EnterpriseAM Egypt\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-03-17T08:37:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"enterpriseam admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"enterpriseam admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"enterpriseam admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#\/schema\/person\/ca597032db7e4db868359c123cec256d\"},\"headline\":\"How public key cryptography shaped the modern economy\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-03-17T08:37:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/\"},\"wordCount\":186,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"EnterpriseAM\",\"LISTEN TO THIS\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Listen to This\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/\",\"name\":\"How public key cryptography shaped the modern economy - EnterpriseAM Egypt\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-03-17T08:37:38+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How public key cryptography shaped the modern economy\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/\",\"name\":\"EnterpriseAM\",\"description\":\"The State of the Nation\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#organization\",\"name\":\"EnterpriseAM\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/240894.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/240894.svg\",\"caption\":\"EnterpriseAM\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#\/schema\/person\/ca597032db7e4db868359c123cec256d\",\"name\":\"enterpriseam admin\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/enterpriseam.testing.projectsarea.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/author\/enterpriseam\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How public key cryptography shaped the modern economy - EnterpriseAM Egypt","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How public key cryptography shaped the modern economy","og_description":"Without public key cryptography, we would not have the internet as we know it, economist Tim Harford says on his BBC-produced 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy podcast. We use cryptography every time we send a work email, buy something online, or use a banking app. Harford tells the story of public key cryptography […]","og_url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/","og_site_name":"EnterpriseAM Egypt","article_published_time":"2017-03-17T08:37:38+00:00","author":"enterpriseam admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"enterpriseam admin","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/"},"author":{"name":"enterpriseam admin","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#\/schema\/person\/ca597032db7e4db868359c123cec256d"},"headline":"How public key cryptography shaped the modern economy","datePublished":"2017-03-17T08:37:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/"},"wordCount":186,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#organization"},"keywords":["EnterpriseAM","LISTEN TO THIS"],"articleSection":["Listen to This"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/","url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/","name":"How public key cryptography shaped the modern economy - EnterpriseAM Egypt","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#website"},"datePublished":"2017-03-17T08:37:38+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/03\/17\/how-public-key-cryptography-shaped-the-modern-economy\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How public key cryptography shaped the modern economy"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#website","url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/","name":"EnterpriseAM","description":"The State of the Nation","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#organization","name":"EnterpriseAM","url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/240894.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/240894.svg","caption":"EnterpriseAM"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/#\/schema\/person\/ca597032db7e4db868359c123cec256d","name":"enterpriseam admin","sameAs":["http:\/\/enterpriseam.testing.projectsarea.com"],"url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/author\/enterpriseam\/"}]}},"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"enterpriseam admin","author_link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/author\/enterpriseam\/"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":667495,"url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2025\/06\/26\/lest-history-repeat-itself\/","url_meta":{"origin":650171,"position":0},"title":"Lest history repeat itself","author":"enterpriseam admin","date":"26 June 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"?Just a few cautionary tales lest history repeat itself. In Tim Harford\u2019s podcast, CautionaryTales, the English economic journalist delivers an engaging audio experience that fuses storytelling with history and social sciences. He delves deep into the archives of human failures; from economic disasters to catastrophic decisions. The objective? Teach listeners\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "WHAT TO LISTEN TO"","block_context":{"text":"WHAT TO LISTEN TO","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/category\/what-to-listen-to\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/6\/1482.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":652348,"url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/01\/06\/m-pesas-role-in-the-modern-economy\/","url_meta":{"origin":650171,"position":1},"title":"M-Pesa\u2019s role in the modern economy","author":"enterpriseam admin","date":"6 January 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"We\u2019re big fans of mobile payments system M-Pesa, and believe it holds great promise for the largely unbanked population in Egypt. Tim Harford presented M-Pesa as one of the 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy, his BBC-produced radio show. Harford tracks how M-Pesa started in Kenya, where Kenyans used\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Listen to This"","block_context":{"text":"Listen to This","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/category\/listen-to-this\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/internal\/536550.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":566605,"url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2021\/06\/29\/enterprise-explains-entering-the-btc-mines-part-ii\/","url_meta":{"origin":650171,"position":2},"title":"Enterprise Explains: Entering the BTC mines (Part II)","author":"enterpriseam admin","date":"29 June 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Entering the BTC mines- Part II: Grab your pickaxe. In the first part of this explainer last week, we explored some of the foundational concepts of the bitcoin network: blockchain, cryptography and \u201cconsensus algorithms.\u201d This week, we bring all of this together to explain what it means to \u201cmine\u201d a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "CRYPTOCURRENCY"","block_context":{"text":"CRYPTOCURRENCY","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/category\/cryptocurrency\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/internal\/536550.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":565851,"url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2021\/05\/09\/the-psychology-behind-magic-and-misinformation-is-often-one-and-the-same\/","url_meta":{"origin":650171,"position":3},"title":"The psychology behind magic and misinformation is often one and the same","author":"enterpriseam admin","date":"9 May 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"What do fake news and magic have in common? We\u2019ve all seen a magic show during a kid\u2019s birthday party, and heard the \u201coohs\u201d and \u201cahs\u201d over an endless handkerchief. But the psychology behind magic has helped researchers explore the people\u2019s everyday reasoning, writes Tim Harford for the Financial Times.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Worth reading"","block_context":{"text":"Worth reading","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/category\/lifestyle\/worth-reading\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2021\/5\/336.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":636143,"url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2017\/12\/21\/uber-defined-as-a-transport-service-in-the-eu-as-it-appoints-a-new-coo\/","url_meta":{"origin":650171,"position":4},"title":"Uber defined as a transport service in the EU as it appoints a new COO","author":"enterpriseam admin","date":"21 December 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The EU\u2019s top court issued a ruling yesterday that Uber should be \u201cregulated like other taxi operators\u201d as its services fall under the transport field, Reuters reports. Although Uber does not see the ruling as having a major effect on its operations in Europe, where it already abides by transport\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Speed Round"","block_context":{"text":"Speed Round","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/category\/speed-round\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/internal\/536550.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":615872,"url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2024\/02\/25\/more-or-less-uncovers-whether-a-statistic-is-correct-or-just-used-to-dupe-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":650171,"position":5},"title":"More or Less uncovers whether a statistic is correct or just used to dupe us","author":"enterpriseam admin","date":"25 February 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"? EARS TO THE GROUND- Statistics are thrown around pretty casually these days \u2014 and with the internet, it\u2019s easy for an impressive number to gain traction, but can we count on them as fact? More or Less: Behind the Stats by BBC aims to answer that question. Each episode\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ENTERPRISE RECOMMENDS"","block_context":{"text":"ENTERPRISE RECOMMENDS","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/category\/enterprise-recommends-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/internal\/536550.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=650171"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650171\/revisions"}],"acf:post":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue\/650141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=650171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=650171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=650171"},{"taxonomy":"brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/brand?post=650171"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=650171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}