Parenting and PGP

[roger.levasseur at comcast.net]

Joshua Judson Rosen <rozzin at geekspace.com> writes:
> So, here's a `fun' question for other people raising little hackers....
> 
> What's the right age or developmental milestone at which to introduce
> (or help them learn about--or _let_ them learn about, depending on your
> perspective...) strong crypto like GnuPG?

I've had some discussions with my son Matt (13) about crypto in general
when he had some current events questions regarding Snowden's NSA
revelations when it was front page news.  Since that time he's asked
follow up questions.  For examples, I've told him things such as the
history of DES, RSA Security's DES Challenges, and EFF's Deep Crack, or
older history such as Enigma.  So far he sees it all as historical facts,
which naturally is how I've presented it all, but that's OK by me as it
builds a context to learning more.  Given that he still asks questions
about it from time to time tells me that he thinks about it.  My telling
him about the DES Challenges and Deep Crack really intrigued him.

I haven't spoken of GnuPG or PGP to him; I think the next time he asks
about crypto or the NSA, I'll bring it up.

While I don't have the full answer to your question, curiosity to learning
about it is key.

     -roger