According to a recent report, a group of Chinese researchers has allegedly finished “ the first long-distance quantum secure direct communication .” This could significantly advance the technology that allows the sending of messages that are totally “safe from eavesdropping.” In a paper published on Oct. 22, the team of researchers wrote that the information traveled 2.7 kilometers via a quantum channel. This breakthrough is important because once it’s verified, it can be “a critical step forward in the pursuit of communication” that no longer needs end-to-end encryption and can never be “secretly intercepted by a third party.” (Related: Could your coffee maker be a weapon of mass destruction? “Smart” appliances could become a national security risk .) While the current best encryption standards are almost impossible to crack, “nearly secure” still isn’t “secure.” They can still be broken if one has access to adequate computing power, like when Alan Turing’s Automatic Computi
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