{
"$type": "site.standard.document",
"bskyPostRef": {
"cid": "bafyreiclu7u7tlztlmvbzvodlu3smbxipog4ocyzlycc56buym4dgxpx6a",
"uri": "at://did:plc:kyxdufbi5qaljy7bxivztuhy/app.bsky.feed.post/3mig5p2wtnik2"
},
"path": "/blog/archives/2026/03/inventors-of-quantum-cryptography-win-turing-award.html",
"publishedAt": "2026-03-31T11:05:32.000Z",
"site": "https://www.schneier.com",
"tags": [
"Uncategorized",
"history of cryptography",
"quantum computing",
"quantum cryptography",
"won"
],
"textContent": "Charles Bennett and Gilles Brassard have won the 2026 Turing Award for inventing quantum cryptography.\n\nI am incredibly pleased to see them get this recognition. I have always thought the technology to be fantastic, even though I think it’s largely unnecessary. I wrote up my thoughts back in 2008, in an essay titled “Quantum Cryptography: As Awesome As It Is Pointless.”\n\nBack then, I wrote:\n\n> While I like the science of quantum cryptography—my undergraduate degree was in physics—I don’t see any commercial value in it. I don’t believe it solves any security problem that needs solving. I don’t believe that it’s worth paying for, and I can’t imagine anyone but a few technophiles buying and deploying it. Systems that use it don’t magically become unbreakable, because the quantum part doesn’t address the weak points of the system...",
"title": "Inventors of Quantum Cryptography Win Turing Award"
}