Which of the following is a characteristic of encryption?

Encryption is fundamentally a security technique designed to protect data by converting it into a format that can only be read by someone who has the appropriate decryption key. This process involves encoding the original data through an algorithm, which transforms it into ciphertext, thereby preventing unauthorized individuals from accessing or interpreting the sensitive information. The primary characteristic of encryption lies in its ability to secure data during storage or transmission, ensuring confidentiality and integrity.

The other options do not represent the core function of encryption; they suggest functionalities that are either contradictory or irrelevant to the purpose of encryption. Unauthorized access is clearly contrary to the objective of encryption, which is to prevent such access. Creating a platonic copy of data does not accurately reflect the purpose of encryption, which is to alter the representation of data rather than replicate it. Lastly, while encryption may have some impact on performance due to the processing required for encoding and decoding, its main objective is not to enhance network performance.