Wickr Foundation
 | |
| Founded | May 2015 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Nico Sell |
| Location | |
| Origins | Wickr |
| Website |
www |
The Wickr Foundation, founded in May of 2015, is a non-profit organization founded by Nico Sell, former CEO of Wickr, using the technology as the for-profit business of the same name. The foundation is dedicated to providing free and secure messaging services to groups including children, political dissidents, human rights activists, and journalists. Sell stepped down as CEO of Wickr to become CEO of the new non-profit, while Mark Fields took over as the new CEO of Wickr.[1][2][3][4]
Sell has stated her desire to keep the messaging app free for all users. As such the foundation split from Wickr to allow the business to focus on paid deals with enterprises and white-label services, while the foundation focuses on end-to-end encrypted and self-destructing messages, including photos and file attachments.[5][6][7][8]
Sell has stated that the Wickr Foundation is in line with her initial inspirations to found the firm. She has cited the Mozilla Foundation and the Wikimedia Foundation as examples "as two models of how a dichotomy can exist with business and nonprofit today."[4][3][1] Sell is an advocate for Internet security and works to disperse information to the concerned public.[9]
Partnering with Wickr, the Wickr Foundation aims to educate groups such as human rights activists, journalists, policy-makers, and the youth about digital security awareness and the benefits of encryption, while advocating for private communication.[10][11]
The organization also works with human rights activists to lobby for more freedom of speech, looser government control and intervention on media, and to continue developing tools to maintain this effort.[12]
References
- 1 2 Fried, Ina (May 6, 2015). "Wickr Splits in Two, With Founder Nico Sell to Head New Nonprofit Venture". re/code.
- ↑ Viebeck, Elise (May 6, 2015). "Wickr spins off non-profit to promote encrypted messaging". The Hill.
- 1 2 Perlroth, Nicole (May 6, 2015). "Wickr Adds a New Chief Executive and a Nonprofit". New York Times.
- 1 2 Lunden, Ingrid (May 6, 2015). "Encrypted Chat App Wickr Creates New Non-Profit Arm, Nico Sell Steps Down As CEO To Lead It". Tech Crunch.
- ↑ "Wickr: Can the Snapchat for Grown-Ups Save You From Spies?". Mashable.com. 2013-03-04. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
- ↑ "Mission Possible: Self-Destructing Messages and Photos". Businessweek. 2012-06-29. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
- ↑ "Teens Dig Digital Privacy, If Snapchat Is Any Indication". NPR All Tech Considered. 2013-12-09. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
- ↑ Vinton, Kate (Mar 10, 2015). "The Messaging App That Fights Dictators". Forbes.
- ↑ "PSFK, in partnership with HP Matter, speaks to Nico Sell, co-founder of the world’s most secure peer-to-peer encrypted messaging system, about the perils of digital security". PSFK. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ↑ "Wickr Transparency Report" (PDF). Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ↑ "Wickr debuts non-profit to promote a free and open Web". Vator News. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ↑ Reader, Ruth. "Ephemeral messaging app Wickr targets activists and enterprises as the company splits in two". VentureBeat. VentureBeat. Retrieved 26 July 2015.