It was not.

[Thace chuckles.] But now it is. Someone would have to be very skilled at de-encrypting to see and hear our conversation now.

Are you planning a surprise for someone? That's the first possibility that comes to mind.

[There are many other reasons to want private conversations, but Thace has come to the realization that most otherworlders don't have the same hard won paranoia that Thace does.]