What role does encryption play in data protection?

Encryption plays a crucial role in data protection by transforming readable data into an unreadable format, ensuring that only authorized users with the appropriate decryption keys can access the information. This process significantly enhances the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive data, making it a vital component of cybersecurity strategies. When data is encrypted, it is rendered useless to unauthorized individuals, thereby protecting it from unauthorized access and potential breaches.

The other choices highlight functions that do not contribute to the protective qualities of encryption. For example, making data accessible to all users contradicts the fundamental purpose of encryption, which is to restrict access. Similarly, while compressing data can save disk space, it does not provide a security mechanism to protect against unauthorized access. Creating duplicate copies for backup is important for data recovery but does not inherently safeguard the data's confidentiality. Thus, the transformative aspect of encryption into an unreadable format is what fundamentally distinguishes it as a critical component in data protection.