IBM Workers Develop Encryption Formula

International Business Machines Corp. said two of its researchers at its Almaden Research Lab in San Jose have developed a new way to encrypt data that is almost impossible to decode. The new method, which generates random numbers that can be used to decode data sent to a user, is still in the laboratory and doesn’t resolve the dispute between technology companies and the U.S. government about providing law enforcement personnel with a way to decode data, said Armonk, N.Y.-based IBM. Encryption is used to safely send sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, over the Net so consumers and companies can buy and sell items and transact other business online.