Cryptography is the art of using math to keep information secret and secure, kind of like how you hide your browser history from your boss. It's a critical tool for protecting sensitive data online, though certain three-letter government agencies seem to think they should have a master key to everyone's encrypted files.

How to use it in a sentence

• "I can't believe our idiot product manager stored customer credit cards in plain text instead of using cryptography. Now I'm stuck dealing with the PR fallout and patching the holes."

• "Sure, end-to-end encrypted messaging apps are great for cryptography nerds, but good luck getting grandma to figure out how to use PGP."

If you actually want to learn more...

• Cryptography 101: The Basics: A quick crash course in the fundamentals of cryptography for those who slept through their college math classes.

• Serious Cryptography: A Practical Introduction to Modern Encryption: A deep dive into the nitty-gritty details of cryptography for masochists who enjoy reading about elliptic curves and finite fields in their spare time.

• Why I'm Giving Up on PGP: A rant on why PGP, the granddaddy of email cryptography, is a usability nightmare that should be put out to pasture.

Note: the Developer Dictionary is in Beta. Please direct feedback to skye@statsig.com.