Apple’s iMessage Is Getting Post-Quantum Encryption

In recent news (February 21st, 2024), Apple is expecting to publish their new software packages that protect encryption from even future quantum computers. While feasible, everyday quantum computers are far from deployment. It is known that their predicted capabilities would be able to decrypt current software. As a result, Apple is rolling out new packages even before these quantum computers come to market.
This action is rather interesting, as it tackles two themes discussed in class (17.447). Firstly, we have recognized that the cyber landscape is a constantly changing landscape. Instead of a traditional set-up where institutions and organizations are allowed to dictate the norms of behavior, in cyber, non-state actors, including people, are dictating the norms and forcing institutions to “catch-up.” In a sense, this move by Apple is trying to move ahead of the curve to predict where their own weaknesses will be exposed with new changes in the cyber landscape, instead of working from behind. Secondly, this highlights the issue of encryption that is described in Clark’s work, Designing an Internet, where end-to-end encryption is seen as a more positive aspect of communication, until that communication needs to be breached to examine for security concerns (whether by a third-party or by one of the actors). While the design of the Internet was to implement as many platforms as possible (allowing for many risks to security inherent in its architecture), these new pushes in quantum computing will perhaps stretch the Internet’s capabilities, as their will likely be an imbalance between the layers of the Internet. As it is possible that these changes in quantum computing will also make it difficult to contain “untrustworthy actors,” (as referred to in the chapter), this further lends credence to Apple’s decision to prematurely release this software. It will be interesting to examine if these predictions result in a fruitful effort, or if institutions will continue to land in second place.