Mashable’s series Algorithms explores the mysterious lines of code that increasingly control our lives — and our futures. “The Algorithm” is impenetrable. It’s mysterious, it’s all-knowing, it’s ...

A formula used to turn ordinary data, or "plaintext," into a secret coded message known as "ciphertext." The ciphertext can reside in storage or travel over unsecure networks without its contents ...

Advanced computer programs influence, and can even dictate, meaningful parts of our lives. Think of streaming services, credit scores, facial recognition software. As this technology becomes more ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about fitness, health and wearable tech Algorithms have taken on an almost mythical significance in the modern world. They ...

In the age of Facebook and Netflix, the word “algorithm” has become so ubiquitous, and its connotation so amorphous, that it’s verging on jargon—maybe even cliché. The Atlantic’s Ian Bogost has ...

Dr. Steve Bellovin is professor of computer science at Columbia University, where he researches "networks, security, and why the two don't get along." He is the author of Thinking Security and the ...

Advanced computer programs influence, and can even dictate, meaningful parts of our lives. Think streaming services, credit scores, facial recognition software. And as this technology becomes more ...