The development of quantum computers is rapidly advancing. The threat this technology poses to existing encryption systems is becoming more and more concrete, even catching interest with the political world: Institutions such as the American NIST or the German BSI are looking for encryption standards for the quantum era. However, our data is already at risk today: Attackers can intercept and keep encrypted data until they have access to the technology to hack the cryptography ("harvest now, decrypt later"). Protection of our data is still not advanced: the end-to-end encryption most messengers offer only applies to the content of messages, not to their metadata. Nevertheless, metadata is crucial when it comes to creating personality profiles, recognizing behavioral patterns and being able to manipulate them. The NSA , for example, has described the collection of metadata as one of its "most useful tools." Indeed, the combination of inadequate encryption and the threat of quantum computing creates the perfect storm for data protection. Companies would therefore be well advised to address the issue today and seek solutions.
