Phil Zimmermann Discusses Surveillance and The Role of PGP Encryption

Phil Zimmermann, the creator of the Pretty Good Privacy encryption tool, says that widespread surveillance is leading us into an Orwellian future Phil Zimmermann, creator of Pretty Good Privacy encryption -- better known as PGP -- was in Italy this week for the InfoSecurity conference.. . . Phil Zimmermann, the creator of the Pretty Good Privacy encryption tool, says that widespread surveillance is leading us into an Orwellian future Phil Zimmermann, creator of Pretty Good Privacy encryption -- better known as PGP -- was in Italy this week for the InfoSecurity conference. ZDNet Italy caught up with him to discuss the technical, social and politic implications of his encryption tool.

At 47 years old, Zimmermann is already a legend in the computing industry. As the inventor of the famous Pretty Good Privacy encyption tool, he faced a three-year-long investigation by the US government for illegal export of weapons. That investigation was launched because he released to the public domain the software along with its source code, allowing Internet users to protect the privacy of their electronic messages.

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