TLS (Transport Layer Security)

Transport Layer Security (TLS) is the cryptographic protocol that secures data as it moves between a client and a server; it is what puts the padlock in a browser and the 's' in HTTPS. It authenticates the server and encrypts the connection so traffic cannot be read or tampered with in transit.

TLS is the canonical example of a control that became infrastructure. It began as an optional add-on and is now on by default and invisible until it fails - the same path AI governance is on as it moves from a written policy to a runtime control that runs on every request.