{"id":3232,"date":"2011-11-29T16:55:56","date_gmt":"2011-11-29T16:55:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.darknet.org.uk\/?p=3232"},"modified":"2015-09-09T19:37:03","modified_gmt":"2015-09-09T11:37:03","slug":"twitter-purchases-whispercore-full-disk-encryption-for-android-phones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.darknet.org.uk\/2011\/11\/twitter-purchases-whispercore-full-disk-encryption-for-android-phones\/","title":{"rendered":"Twitter Purchases WhisperCore – Full Disk Encryption For Android Phones"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is certainly an interesting acquisition and not one I would have expected, I’m not even exactly sure what Twitter<\/a> is planning and why they would want a company focused on mobile encryption (and specifically on the Android platform).<\/p>\n

I can’t see any real corporate use for Twitter, so they won’t be pushing the security aspects of it in terms of the application. Perhaps it’s just an equity play and has nothing to do with Twitter, or perhaps they have another offering up their sleeves which isn’t public yet.<\/p>\n

Twitter may be planning to boost its mobile security options with the acquisition of Whisper Systems, a company that offers security products for Android phones.<\/p>\n

Whisper Systems’ offerings include WhisperCore, software that enables full disk encryption as well as management tools for Android phones. It’s free for individual users while enterprise customers pay for the software. Other Whisper Systems products include text encryption, voice encryption, firewall software and encrypted backup.<\/p>\n

In a blog post about the acquisition, Whisper Systems didn’t say much about what Twitter might be planning to do with the technology. “Now that we’re joining Twitter, we’re looking forward to bringing our technology and our expertise into Twitter’s products and services,” the company wrote on the blog.<\/p>\n

It said that Whisper Systems software will continue to be available but that during a transition period the company will take the products and services offline. In a forum on Whisper Systems’ website, people who are apparently unaware of the acquisition are already wondering why they can’t download products. Twitter did not reply to a request for comment about its plans for the technologies.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The only path I can see, obvious path that is, would be for Twitter to integrate the encryption technology offered by WhisperCore into the official Twitter apps – making them more secure in both storing data locally and in transmitting data over insecure networks.<\/p>\n

I don’t see how it really offers any value though, it’s not like anyone is actually sending anything important out over Twitter – apart from the odd DM (Direct Message) I would imagine.<\/p>\n

It’ll be interesting to see what direction they take though and if we can actually find out why this acquisition took place.<\/p>\n