Encryption algorithms keep us safe online, protect our privacy, and protect the transfer of information.

However, many experts are concerned that quantum computers could one day break these algorithms and come under attack from hackers and fraudsters. It may be ready sooner than you think.

So there is serious work underway to design new types of algorithms that are resistant to even the most powerful quantum computers we can imagine. Read the full story from fellow budding journalist Tammy Xu on how quantum resistant algorithms are being developed and what happens next.

This is part of Tech Review Explains. Help our writers unravel the complex and messy world of technology to better understand what’s coming next. Check out other smart explainers here.

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must read

I’ve combed the internet to find today’s most fun/important/horrifying/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Google loses EU antitrust allegation
It was fined more than €4 billion after it was found to have abused control of the Android system.(Reuters)
+ The company failed to appeal the allegations first announced in 2018. (The Barge)
+ South Korea has fined Google and Facebook for privacy violations. (FT$)

2 The US economy is not out of the woods yet
Inflation has not fallen as much as investors had hoped. (Economist $)

3 Someone Is Digging Up Twitter’s Whistleblower Dirt
Whoever is behind is happy to pay, but his former colleague continues to chat. (New Yorker $)
+ Peiter ‘Mudge’ Zatko’s Senate testimony didn’t paint Twitter in a good light. (WP$)
+ In fact, it’s the Senate’s renewed desire for more regulation. (Bloomberg $)

4 What robotic surgeons and self-driving cars have in common
We are still reluctant to trust them in life-or-death decisions. (Knowable Magazine)
+ Robot-assisted precision surgery has passed its first tests on humans. (MIT Technology Review)

5 Hard Lessons Learned From California Wildfires
And the role that power companies played in exacerbating them. (Vox)
+ Gene-edited crops could benefit from Europe’s severe drought. (wired $)

6 Brain scans cannot diagnose mental states
But some scientists hope it can help recovery. (Slate$)
+ A quest to know if mutations in our brain affect mental health. (MIT Technology Review)

7 Inside the Culture Wars memization
Online tropes have mobilized huge groups to the point of rioting. (Atlantic $)

8 Elon Musk’s Biggest Fans Move To Texas 🌵
To get as close as possible to the SpaceX action. (The Barge)
+ No one else at SpaceX has access to Musk’s email. (The Barge)

9 Ways to Turn Personal Tragedy into Content
Eva Benefield’s T-shirt business is thriving behind her dark past. (input)

10 America puts the moon first again 🌕
Despite the difficulty of sending humans back there. (new scientist $)
+ Ukrainian astronomers continue to find large numbers of UFOs. (motherboard)

quote of the day