A group of computer security experts want to turn that model on its head with
Wickr, a new
mobile app that they hope will set a new standard for how personal data is
disseminated.
Wickr’s motto: The Internet is forever. Your private conversations don’t need
to be. The app, which became available in Apple’s iTunes store on Tuesday, lets
users transmit texts, photos and videos through secure and anonymous means
previously reserved for the likes of the military and intelligence
operatives.
Text messages, photos and videos sent via Wickr are secured using
military-grade encryption and never stored. The service camouflages user names
and other identifiable information, such as a phone’s identification number, by
appending several random digits to each value, then mashing them up with a
mathematical algorithm, a process security experts refer to as “salting” and
“hashing.” Wickr hashes and salts that information several times and only stores
the encoded result.
