Two research teams published findings saying we’re closer than anyone expected. One estimate puts the current largest quantum machine at more than halfway to the size needed to crack the encryption that secures basically everything online.

“Just around the corner” is relative. But this moved from “eventual theoretical problem” to “timeline question” faster than most people were tracking.

What happens to all the data that’s been harvested now, to be decrypted later? That’s the uncomfortable part of this.