Hindsight · review build · data not yet validated
…which has resulted in the popularity of unbreakable encryption technologies.
Grader A: partial
In 2009 strong encryption was routine only under the hood (SSL for shopping and banking). Consumers did not adopt encryption to protect themselves from government access; tools like PGP stayed niche. End-to-end encrypted messaging reached mass use with iMessage (October 2011) and grew after Snowden (2013), but mostly as a default, not by user choice.
Test: User adoption of end-to-end encryption against government access: under 20% of users in 2009; mass reach came 2011-2014 via defaults (iMessage 300 billion messages by Oct 2012).
Grader B: partial
In 2009 strong encryption was routine only inside infrastructure (SSL/TLS for e-commerce). Consumers did not widely adopt personal encryption as a response to government access; tools such as PGP stayed niche. The shift the claim describes came after the 2013 Snowden disclosures. In 2014 Apple and Google redesigned smartphone encryption so that they could not bypass it even with a warrant. This puts consumer adoption of strong encryption, motivated by government access, in the 2012-2014 band.
Test: Mainstream test: 20% of users rely on strong encryption chosen to block government access, or 50% of new phones encrypted by default. 2009: personal encryption niche. 2014: Apple and Google made default device encryption they cannot bypass.