Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ HTTPS explained with carrier pigeons

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

Web security is one of those arcane topics that defies simple understanding. This article tries to bring it down to earth using pigeons. "Bob sends a pigeon to Alice without any message. Alice sends the pigeon back carrying a box with an open lock, but keeping the key. Bob puts the message in the box, closes the locks and sends the box to Alice. Alice receives the box, opens it with the key and reads the message." Now of course there's mathematics involved in the design of the lock and the key, but this explanation gets us off the ground. Right?

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Nov 21, 2024 4:03 p.m.

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