Silent Circle (software)

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Silent Circle

Silent Circle is an encrypted communications firm providing multiplatform secure communication services for mobile devices, desktop and email. Launched October 16, 2012, the company is privately funded.

History[edit]

In November 2011, Mike Janke called Phil Zimmermann with an idea for a new kind of private, secure version of Skype. Zimmermann agreed to the project and called Jon Callas, co-founder of PGP Corporation and Vincent Moscaritolo. Janke brought in security expert Vic Hyder, and the founding team was established.[1][2]

On August 9, 2013, through their website, Silent Circle announced that the Silent Mail service would be shut down, because the company could "see the writing on the wall" and felt it was not possible to sufficiently secure email data with the looming threat of government compulsion and precedent set by the Lavabit shutdown the day before.[3]

In November 2014, Silent Phone and Silent Text received top scores on the Electronic Frontier Foundation's secure messaging scorecard, along with "ChatSecure + Orbot", Cryptocat, TextSecure, and "Signal / RedPhone".[4]

Products[edit]

The company's products[5] enable encrypted mobile phone calls, text messaging, and video chat. Servers of its custom-built network are located in Canada.

Its products include the following:

  • Silent Phone: Encrypted voice and video calls on mobile devices. Currently available for iOS and Android, it can be used with Wi-Fi, EDGE, 3G or 4G cellular anywhere in the world. Encrypted VoIP (video and voice) teleconferencing from Windows computers.
  • Silent Text: Encrypted text messaging and secure cloud content transfer with “burn notice” feature for permanently deleting messages from devices. Currently available for iOS and Android.
  • Silent Mail: Discontinued August 9, 2013. Silent Mail used to offer encrypted email on Silent Circle’s private, secure network and compatibility with popular email client software.
  • Blackphone A smartphone developed by SGP Technologies, that provides encryption as well as other security privacy features for phone calls, emails, texts, and internet browsing.

Business model[edit]

The company is privately funded.[2]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Bort, Julie. "An Internet Hall Of Famer And Some Navy Seals Want To Make Your iPhone Safer". Business Insider, Inc. Retrieved 12 March 2013. 
  2. ^ a b Takahashi, Dean (8 August 2014). "Crypto wiz Phil Zimmermann leads charge to make phone calls really private". Venturebeat. Retrieved 26 January 2015. 
  3. ^ Tsukayama, Hayley (Aug 9, 2013). "Lavabit, Silent Circle shut down e-mail: What alternatives are left?". Washington Post. Retrieved 10 August 2013. 
  4. ^ "Secure Messaging Scorecard. Which apps and tools actually keep your messages safe?". Electronic Frontier Foundation. 2014-11-04. 
  5. ^ Ridden, Paul. "PGP creator aims to keep digital communications strictly confidential with Silent Circle". Gizmag. Retrieved 12 March 2013. 

External links[edit]

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