GoKawiilPhil Zimmermann's 1991 essay explains motivation for creating PGP encryption
In this reprinted 1991 guide (updated 1999), Phil Zimmermann describes why he built Pretty Good Privacy, arguing that email and electronic communication lack the inherent privacy once guaranteed by face-to-face conversation. He contends that government surveillance of digital communication is far cheaper and easier than intercepting paper mail or phone calls, prompting him to create software letting ordinary people encrypt their messages.