Science of Secrecy / La Science du secret

Why is secrecy a social need? How can a secret be communicated in writing, without running the risk that it may be eventually unveiled by an unwanted thied party? Yet how can the message be made intelligible to the uninitiated? Why is cryptology an inevitable outgrowth of writing? In the era of information highways, how can the confidentiality of private correspondence and of business transactions, as well as of state secrets, be adequately protected? How can the iedividual's right to priva...