Trying to protect sensitive personal information from prying eyes is not something particular to the digital age — it's just human nature.
Before digital encryption and data lockers — and before the concept of identity theft even existed — passwords and their kin guarded secrets and kept conversations A-to-B. The first computer password was developed in 1961 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, when most people had never even seen a computer. Decades earlier, Nazis used "Enigma machines" to guard evil secrets. And way back in the Bronze Age, the Spartan military used carefully matched sticks and leather to transmit messages.
Password management and auto-fill app Dashlane produced an infographic that sums up the history of the password and gives some context about how long people have been keeping secrets, stealing ciphers and trying to outwit one another for information. Check it out below for the full picture, and click on the graphic itself for a pop-out view.
How do you think online security will evolve next? Let us know in the comments.