isr.co.ro : glossary Encryption The process of converting incoming data--called "plaintext"--to a form that does not make sense without a matching "decryption" process. While no method for encryption is absolutely secure in long-term use, recent theories have developed effectively secure methods that make it impractical to read messages without the required key. Most Internet experts say some form of accepted encryption is needed for widespread commerce on the Net--even though the same people who won't send credit card numbers over the Net turn those same numbers over to anyone who works in a restaurant or retail store.