The eventual integration of encryption technology into the backbone of the Internet should allow for greater levels of communication by individuals who are otherwise deterred by a lack of privacy protections. Less clear is the way in which encryption may lower our expectations and actualization of freedom in particular social contexts. This paper explores two areas in which the emergence of encryption technology may force a shift in social norms and expectations regarding freedom and privacy. One area is the workplace, where freedom of expression and privacy, already curtailed to an extent, may become more so. A second area is economic freedom.
Encryption makes secrecy of identity easy, thereby creating a market for identity.
Those with fewer options to obtain economic resources will find it harder to realize the freedom of anonymity or privacy as they will be more influenced by their economic situation to sacrifice that level of privacy than others. In these ways, encryption may widen certain already existing social and economic inequalities. Corporations and employers are increasingly utilizing electronic resources such as online computer networks to store and access information and to generally increase efficiency. Reliance on information technologies has raised liability concerns for employers. For example, fears of sexual harassment lawsuits have prompted employers to monitor the email of their employees so as to deter pornography from being sent around the office.