Silent Circle, the company that turns your privacy into a business

Image courtesy of Maurizio Pesce at Flickr.com

There is no more to it. Privacy and security in communications has to be included within the public and private security plans of organizations and individuals. Silent Circle is a company founded from the need for a new form of digital privacy. It was created in 2011 when Mike Janke, former member of the US Navy; and Phil Zimmerman, creator of PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), met with the idea of developing a new, safer version of Skype.

From this they summoned the other co-founders: Jon Callas, creator of Apple's encryption software, and Vincent Moscaritolo to found the company, in 2014, with the launch of the first phone designed to protect the privacy and digital safety of users. Its name: the BlackPhone.

To reinforce their commitment to the privacy of information, in 2014 they moved their headquarters to Geneva (Switzerland) since this is considered one of the countries with a stronger legislation to protect the privacy of information and, therefore, its customers’.

After four years of operation in Europe and the US, the company committed to emerging markets, targeting Mexico and the rest of Latin America. This is a region that has all elements at play when it comes to security, but there is still work to be done regarding the awareness of risks that exist and how much of the users contributions play a part in being at risk.

Privacy and security in communications must be included within the security plan of organizations and individuals. This initial phase should provoke a cultural and organizational change. Prevention is always the best tool when it comes to crises. The lack of privacy and security can bring financial and reputational losses to both organisations and individuals.

Silent Circle wants to work for the privacy of Latin American markets and their people. They will focus in carrying their message to CEOs or CTOs, as well as the whole society by talking about the risks that exist today in mobile environments. And at the operational level, within organizations, for them to understand the current severity of implementing these policies.

Over the past few years, losses have been reported due to leakages or theft of information equivalent to more than 156 billion dollars. But we should keep in mind that this risk is for companies, organizations and the end consumer. It's not about restricting, but raising awareness and giving people the right tools for them to have a professional and personal balance without losing connectivity or sacrificing functionality.

Image courtesy of Jon Callas at Flickr.com

In this scenario, Silent Circle offers the first platform designed for the privacy of individuals, which is composed of their mobile device, the BlackPhone 2 and the software Silent OS, and the Silent Phone, along with services that add value such as the Silent Manager. The purpose of each of the components of this platform is to provide private and secure communications to the users.

Silent OS the operating system which is exclusive to the BlackPhone 2. It is based on Android but it's designed to address the current concerns about the privacy and safety of users. This means there won't be any leakages of information. The operating system gives users control of their personal, work and family privacy without sacrificing their lifestyles.

Blackphone 2 is the device that provides extra levels of security, such as the Security Center to give absolute control over the personal information that apps request on the mobile device.

The potential markets

The company got to Mexico with an aggressive plan. Seeking to consolidate in that country and then opening to other markets in order to meet the needs of digital privacy and security of the region, it includes staffing and business partners that allows them to develop and effectively execute their operations, which in turn directly affects job creation.

Thanks to their portfolio, the company works hand in hand with the constant needs of private entities, government or whoever handles sensitive information in a more frequent way that has an impact on their organizations. In addition, at the moment, they believe they have an offer and a solution that penetrates different niches and contemplates the growing need for privacy and security of communications and the information in society. This allows them to position themselves in the various Latin American markets and consumer preferences.

How will the BlackPhone be marketed?

The company started operations in its first phase with just one mobile carrier, but it will subsequently do it with the rest of the carriers. The phone is intended for all users, not just businesses, as it provides all the functionality of the best smartphones in the industry and it adds an important piece of privacy and information security and communications. This gives them a very broad spectrum of consumers and they are not limiting functionality or connectivity to their daily lives, but they protect them through the Silent OS and their communications platform, Silent Phone, at the highest level, both information management and communications.

The Most Secure Messaging Apps that you Probably Never Heard of

mage courtesy of Perri Scope at Flickr.com

A secure messaging system gathers a few characteristics that allow users to safely communicate without fear of having their conversations, images and data intercepted. Now, we are all aware of WhatsApp and different alternatives, but how many of them are completely safe. Even though WhatsApp can now make the cut, due to its latest upgrade, there are still other options out there that you may have never heard about. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) designed a Secure Messaging Scoreboard, which allows to compare specific data to analyze just how secure the messaging app is. It examines dozens of technologies and rates them to get a range of security best practices among the top messaging software out there, including chat clients, test messaging apps, email applications and video calling. We all use these apps on a daily basis, be it for work or to stay in touch with friends and family, but how sure are we that our information, conversations and data is safe while we communicate with others. This scorecard measures seven dimensions to evaluate if the communication app is secure. 

-Are they encrypted at all stages of the communication?

-Is the encryption end-to-end so the messaging companies can’t access your communications?

-Is there a way to verify who you are messaging?

-If for some reason, the encryption keys are stolen, is all of your previous information safe?

-Can the app code be independently reviewed?

-Is the design of the cryptography, along with the implementation, available for review?

-Finally, has the code and implementation been audited independently in the last year?

Now, it is important to clarify that these individual traits don’t guarantee a secure network, but instead the combination of all of them. Especially considering when an app fails, the first four should be present to ensure your security.

Which ones aren’t safe?

mage courtesy of Cyril Vallée at Flickr.com

If they are popular, they are probably not that safe. The most popular apps are usually the ones that don’t pass the test. In fact, from the most popular apps that were tested all failed, with the exception of iMessage. The other ones tested from the popular apps were: BlackBerry Messenger, Facebook Chat, Skype, Snapchat, Viber and WhatsApp. Although WhatsApp, didn’t pass the test at the time, it may be quite different with the end-to-end upgrade it made recently. BlackBerry Messenger, only passed the first criteria of being encrypted in transit, the same as Skype and Viber. Whereas Facebook Chat, Snapchat, and WhatsApp (again when the study was made) only passed in the previously mentioned criteria and the fact that they have had recent audits of their code. iMessage, as mentioned before, is one of the safest from this group of popular apps which passes on five of the seven criteria. It has the previously two that were mentioned, as well as having an encryptor so the provider can’t read your messaged, previous comments are secure even if your keys are stolen and the design is properly documented.

Which ones are safe, but you don’t know about?

In this category we’ll have some apps that I’m almost sure you’ve never heard of, but do fill all seven criteria; ChatSecure, Silent Phone and Silent Text from Silent Circle, and Signal, RedPhone and TextSecure from WhisperSystems.

ChatSecure is a free app you can download from iOS and Android, and uses a few cryptographic libraries that are very well-known such as XMPP, OTR and Tor. You can communicate with other users who are using the same app or other apps that use the same protocols.

Silent Circle has a subscription plan and it covers two of the apps that were evaluated with all seven criteria: Silent Phone and Silent Text. Both apps are available in iOS and Android. It is a sort of secure Skype. The different thing about these apps is that they can also call non-users and the call will continue to be encrypted.

WhisperSystems is actually the same company that designed the new encrypted system for WhatsApp. They initially started off with their RedPhone and TextSecure apps that are used on Android, and Signal for iOS. These apps integrate with the phone’s dialer on the android version, so you’ll always get the option of making an encrypted call of sending a secure message. On the iOS version, it’s not quite as integrated.

All of the apps mentioned could be used to ensure that your communication is secure and not in danger of being tapped by anyone, including the phone manufacturer or the apps designer. Online there are tons of ways of being hacked or tricked into handing over their personal information, by anyone from a hacker to the government. So, if you’re interested in keeping your communications private, feel free to use any of these because they comply with all 7 seven criteria and will for sure keep your conversation between you and the end user.