Open Whisper Systems (OWS) is an open-source project team that very few people have heard about but the work that they’re doing is already benefiting a large number of smartphone and tablet users. Folks who use CyanogenMod on their Android devices are already experiencing a secure messaging experience that has been baked into the custom ROM thanks to the collaboration with OWS.
OWS was spun off from the Whisper Systems company when it was bought over by Twitter. Even after the acquisition, Twitter allowed the company’s two security centric apps to be published as open sourced apps under OWS. Both the secure/encrypted products are available on Play Store and they are called TextSecure (for messaging) and RedPhone (for calls).
OWS has been working on iOS versions for some time now and looks like the team has something to show for all their hard work. OWS has now released a completely new app called Signal and the app provides free encrypted voice calls (VoIP) that is available worldwide. The app can also make and receive calls, to and from the RedPhone app for Android.
The Signal app takes seconds to register using your existing phone number and an authentication code, that will be provided via SMS (there seems to be a problem with the app recognising the authentication message) or through a call. The app uses a well-tested protocol for secure voice communication and uses push notifications to reduce battery usage while on standby.
Did we mention that Signal is also free? Keeping with the OWS tradition, the code for this open source app is available for everyone to audit and to contribute to make it better. Contributors may also be able to make a portion of the crowd donated Bitcoins when they commit to the repositories.
OWS has more in store for Signal and secure calls are just the start. The app will be supporting text communication by next month and the app will then move on to Android to replace the existing TextSecure and RedPhone. A browser version is also in progress.
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