21 de fevereiro de 2018

Surge Signal Foundation, com co-fundador do WhatsApp


Um co-fundador do WhatsApp deixa o Facebook para se unir ao fundador do Signal e criar o Signal Foundation e doa 50 milhões de dólares.


Brian Acton (ex-Facebook após compra do WhatsApp) se uniu ao Moxie (fundador do Signal) para criar o Signal Foundation e fez essa generosa doação.

Criptografia open-source tem aos montes por aí, mas ficam largados, cada um pega e aplica. A ideia é criar uma fundação para ajudar na implementação, e não na criação, da criptografia. Trata-se de uma fundação sem fins lucrativos.

Para quem não sabe, a solução deles é usado no WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Google Allo, Wire e agora no Microsoft Skype. Então não é pouca bosta.

O mensageiro próprio é bem leve, no Android tem função SMS, porém é bruto e rústico. Nem wallpaper dá para trocar. Mas tem as principais funções de segurança, isso que importa.

Segue a carta do Brian:

Hi everyone, Brian here. I am incredibly excited to be launching the Signal Foundation with Moxie. The Signal Foundation’s mission is to develop open source privacy technology that protects free expression and enables secure global communication.

As more and more of our lives happen online, data protection and privacy are critical. This isn’t just important for select people in select countries. It’s important for people from all walks of life in every part of the world. Everyone deserves to be protected. We created the Signal Foundation in response to this global need. Our plan is to pioneer a new model of technology nonprofit focused on privacy and data protection for everyone, everywhere.

Moxie and I share a belief that the best way to continue to ensure the universal availability of high-security and low-cost communications services like Signal is to do so through a foundation structure that is free of the inherent limitations of a for-profit company. Ultimately, our goal is to make the Signal Foundation financially self-sustaining. We believe there is an opportunity to act in the public interest and make a meaningful contribution to society by building sustainable technology that respects users and does not rely on the commoditization of personal data. Signal has always been a collaborative project with a strong community, and we will continue to learn from our users and experiment together.

Moxie and his team have built something very special in Signal Messenger and I am thrilled to join their effort to provide the most trusted communications experience on the planet. I first met Moxie in 2013 when I was at WhatsApp and we were working on a joint effort to add end-to-end encryption to the app. I was blown away by his technical ability and admired his passion and absolute commitment to data protection and personal privacy. Moxie will continue to serve as CEO of the newly created Signal Messenger nonprofit organization, and I will serve as Executive Chairman of the Signal Foundation where I will take an active, daily role in operations and product development. After over 20 years of working for some of the largest technology companies in the world, I couldn’t be more excited for this opportunity to build an organization at the intersection of technology and the nonprofit world.

Of course, this is just the beginning. There is a lot of work to be done to make our dream a reality and we will continually be asking our peers, our community, and ourselves if there are more effective ways to serve the public good. In the immediate future we are focused on adding to our talented-but-small team and improving Signal Messenger. Our long-term vision is for the Signal Foundation to provide multiple offerings that align with our core mission. That will come in time. For now, I invite you to sign up for Signal Messenger and join us in the experiment.

Brian Acton


Eu sei, você não usa o Signal Messenger. Mas certamente usa indiretamente.

Bem, 50 milhões de dólares é coisa pacarai. Vamos ver se o desenvolvimento do app seja melhorado no nível do Telegram, por exemplo, que é excelente e muitas funções.