What is the purpose of encryption in data security?

The purpose of encryption in data security is primarily to prevent unauthorized access to information. Encryption transforms data into a coded format that can only be deciphered by someone with the appropriate decryption key or password. This ensures that even if data is intercepted or accessed by unauthorized individuals, it remains unreadable and secure.

By converting sensitive information into a format that is not easily interpretable, encryption acts as a significant barrier against data breaches and cyberattacks, safeguarding personal, financial, and confidential information from malicious actors. This capability is particularly critical in environments where data privacy is paramount, such as in financial services, healthcare, and personal communications.

The other choices do not accurately represent the fundamental role of encryption. For example, while keeping backups and compressing data serve their own purposes in data management, they do not inherently address the concern of unauthorized access. Similarly, encryption does not inherently speed up data transfer; in fact, it may add some overhead due to the processing required to encrypt and decrypt data. Thus, the primary function of encryption is indeed to secure information against unauthorized access.