How Encryption Works How Encryption Works Encryption has a long history. The ancient Greeks would send messages to each other using codes, and these codes could only be broken using a secret key. Today, most (reputable) websites use the same principle to keep your data safe from eavesdroppers. People who take security seriously go even further, and choose to add another level of encryption to the data they send and receive online. The easiest and most effective way of doing this is to use a virtual private network (VPN), which …