Why we trust 1991 tech (the PGP story)

PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) isn’t new or experimental. It was created in 1991, and it’s spent decades being audited, attacked, debated, and improved. We didn’t choose it because it’s trendy. We chose it because it’s proven — a standard that has survived the real world.

"Trust us" is not a security model

Most apps say your data is secure. But in many cases, they hold the keys. That means they can still read your data, hand it over to authorities, or lose it in a breach. Your work isn’t really private — it’s just renting space on someone else’s server.

Encryption you control

PGP is battle-tested encryption that protects your data before it ever leaves your device. Only the people you’ve shared it with have the key to open it.

• Not us.
• Not the cloud provider.
• Just you — and the people you trust.

How it works (without the jargon)

Imagine putting your message in a steel box and locking it. Only the person you’re sending it to has the unique key to unlock it. Even if someone intercepts the box along the way (a hacker, an ISP, a hostile network), they still can’t open it. Without the key, it’s just a heavy steel box.

PGP works the same way — using public keys (to lock) and private keys (to unlock). It’s a handshake made of math. Quiet. Reliable. Proven.

Why "Pretty Good" is an understatement

“Pretty Good Privacy” was an ironic joke by its creator, Phil Zimmermann. When he released PGP in 1991, the encryption was strong enough that it triggered a U.S. criminal investigation tied to export restrictions.

It wasn’t just “pretty good.” It was defiance — delivered as software.

Why we rely on "old" encryption tech

In a world of AI trackers, algorithmic feeds, and shiny "proprietary" encryption methods, PGP stands out because it is boring. 

That’s the point.

• It’s public. The ideas and standards behind PGP have been scrutinized for decades — by researchers, adversaries, and everyone in between.
   
• It’s trusted because it’s tested. Not because a brand promised it.
   
• It’s invisible (when done right). Classic PGP was hard to use. Qaxa automates the complex key exchange in the background, so you get the security without the headache.

We don’t use PGP for nostalgia. We use it because relying on proven mathematics is the quietest form of resistance.

—

PGP is how we make “trust us” obsolete. But the real fight is bigger: collaboration tools have become surveillance machines. Here’s what Secure collaboration actually means and why privacy is the only feature that matters.

Keep reading the blog
Follow us on X for updates