Why is it important to encrypt sensitive information?

Encrypting sensitive information is crucial primarily to prevent unauthorized access. When sensitive data is encrypted, it is transformed into a format that is unreadable without the proper decryption key or password. This means that even if an unauthorized individual manages to gain access to the data, they will not be able to comprehend it without the means to decrypt it. This protection is essential for maintaining the confidentiality of personal information, financial records, intellectual property, or any data that could be misused if it fell into the wrong hands.

The other options don't align with the main purpose of encryption. For instance, while it might be harder to recover data in some cases, that is not the primary reason for encrypting it. Additionally, encryption can sometimes slow down data transfer rather than speed it up, as the encryption and decryption processes require computational resources. Lastly, using encryption does not inherently utilize more storage space; in fact, it can sometimes reduce the size of the data.