How does data encryption benefit data integrity?

Data encryption significantly enhances data integrity by ensuring that the information remains unaltered during storage or transmission. When data is encrypted, it is transformed into a secure format that is only decipherable by those who possess the correct decryption keys. This prevents unauthorized entities from modifying the information, thereby maintaining its original state.

Integrity is primarily concerned with ensuring that data is accurate and consistent. Encryption acts as a protective barrier, meaning that any unauthorized attempt to change the data would result in an inability to decrypt it correctly, immediately flagging a potential integrity breach. Thus, any unauthorized alterations are effectively detected, protecting the original data from tampering. This assurance of data integrity is essential in various contexts, such as financial transactions, legal documents, and sensitive personal information, where alterations could lead to significant consequences.

The other options do not pertain directly to the concept of data integrity as effectively as this answer does. While speed, ease of sharing, and compression have their advantages in data transmission and storage, they do not specifically safeguard against unauthorized changes to the actual data content.