Free Voice, Text Encryption Software Lets Egyptians Ensure Privacy
A security researcher has made his mobile phone security software available to Egyptians to ensure their voice conversations and text messages are kept private and cannot be intercepted.
Although Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced his resignation today (Feb. 11), the security software should still be useful as the country cautiously moves forward amidst the recent political upheaval.
The phone software, called RedPhone, allows users to establish a secure connection with another caller using the same software, according to a Wired report.
TextSecure, the text message software, works similarly, providing end-to-end encryption (a type of security where both ends of the conversation are encrypted) of text messages. As a second layer of security, texts are stored in an encrypted database, preventing someone from accessing them if the phone is lost, stolen or seized by police.
Currently RedPhone and TextSecure are free, but work only on Android phones and mobile devices.
With the recent wave of political protests in Egypt where activists have relied on mobile phones to organize and document their struggle he [creator Moxie Marlinspike] and his team were motivated to work on bringing the software to Egyptians quickly, Wired magazine said.
The phone security software is available from Marlinspike's company, Whisper Systems, at www.whispersys.com.
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