The combination of tall claims, egotistical behaviour and closed-source, unreviewed software should be enough to make any reasonable security expert implore everyone to steer clear from Wickr.
NK On Sat, Feb 2, 2013 at 10:39 PM, Julian Oliver <[email protected]>wrote: > ..on Sun, Feb 03, 2013 at 09:53:23AM +0700, Nathan of Guardian wrote: > > Wow, a patent-pending closed-source app for Freedom(tm) only available > on iPhones! > > > > All of our problems are solved. ;) > > Indeed. > > Maybe it'd all be so much cleaner if we simply removed the right to > Freedom of > Association, Privacy and Free Speech entirely and made the protection of > them a > service, akin to electricity or gas. Perhaps Governments in the West and > elsewhere actually see the denial of these basic rights as part of a market > stimulus plan - every right removed creates jobs and lures young > entrepreneurs > like Nico Sell (got to love the name) into the market. Perhaps privacy is > becoming a form of tax. > > While I joke, it is clear these companies wish to profit on the emergent > condition that something already and defensably ours (ie our basic human > rights) > is an untapped commodity or great potential. Better yet, it comes with the > added > bonus of looking like a front-line hero, fighting the Good Fight. > > Perhaps the ongoing threat to these rights is something business people in > the > privacy sector desire - as a means to extend their marketplace. They are, > afterall, mining and trading privacy as a material, a mine that will grow > in > offering as various countries, democratic and otherwise, continue efforts > to > work against these rights. > > No for-profit, closed source business can be considered a viable partner > in the > protection of privacy. Nonetheless, Mr. Sell will probably make a killing > exploiting those less aware. > > Cheers, > > Julian > > > > > Yosem Companys <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > >Wickr app aims to safeguard online privacy > > >February 3, 2013, 4:33 am AFP > > > > > >SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Wickr co-founder Nico Sell is working toward > > >"geek utopia," a world where people hold the power when it comes to > > >who sees what they share on the Internet or from their phones. > > > > > >The startup's services -- giving users of Apple gadgets uncrackable > > >communications that can self-destruct -- were beefed up this week, > > >just in time for reports of cyber spies trying to snoop on Western > > >journalists covering China. > > > > > >The free software, available at Apple's online App Store, was enhanced > > >to let people send encrypted file attachments programmed to erase > > >themselves. The original service, released in June, only worked on the > > >data within text, picture, video and voice messages. > > > > > >"It shows the bigger vision of where we are going," Sell said Friday. > > > > > >"We plan on overlaying this protocol on every communication channel > > >that exists in the online world," continued Sell, a key > > >behind-the-scenes figure at the famous Def Con hacker gathering that > > >takes place annually in Las Vegas. > > > > > >"It's geek utopia, and we think we can get to it." > > > > > >Wickr has a patent pending on technology which Sell said could give > > >people ways to safeguard anything they send or put online, even > > >digital bytes in Internet telephone calls or posts to leading social > > >network Facebook. > > > > > >"We expect to have it all covered by the end of the year," Sell said. > > >"The idea is you would use Wickr to interact with all the other > > >networks." > > > > > >Wickr will evolve to be able to hide pictures posted at Facebook > > >behind "decoy images," with permission needed to look behind the > > >masks, according to company co-founder Robert Statica. > > > > > >"There will be a decoy image that the public sees, and you clear your > > >friends or your group to see the real image," explained Statica, a > > >professor of information technology at the New Jersey Institute of > > >Technology. > > > > > >"We will let people make regular Facebook posts if they don't care > > >about privacy." > > > > > >Unlike many other apps, Wickr is designed not to store any information > > >mined from people's contact lists. > > > > > >"Right now Facebook has all my contact information even though I > > >boycott Facebook, because a bunch of my friends uploaded it with their > > >contact lists," Sell said. "This needs to change as an industry." > > > > > >The Wickr app has been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times in > > >more than 110 countries since the software crafted for iPhones, iPads, > > >and iPod touch devices hit the App Store, according to the > > >co-founders. > > > > > >"Private communication is a universal human right," Sell said. > > >"Freedom: there's an app for that." > > > > > >The San Francisco-based startup behind the software is working on > > >versions of Wickr for smartphones or tablets powered by Google-backed > > >Android software. > > > > > >Wickr's business plan is to have hundreds of millions of people > > >globally use the free versions of the application while a small > > >percentage opt to pay for premium features such as being able to > > >control larger data files. > > > > > >"We are trying to flip messaging on its head and give control to the > > >sender instead of the receiver or the servers in between," Sell said. > > > > > >"We can't expect these cloud services to protect our privacy; we need > > >to do it ourselves." > > > > > >More information about the application was available online at > > >mywickr.com. > > >-- > > >Unsubscribe, change to digest, or change password at: > > >https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech > > > -- > > Unsubscribe, change to digest, or change password at: > https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech > > > -- > Julian Oliver > http://julianoliver.com > http://criticalengineering.org > -- > Unsubscribe, change to digest, or change password at: > https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech >
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