Amazon Acquires Encrypted Messaging App Wickr

Amazon has acquired encrypted messaging platform Wickr, according to announcements from Wickr and Amazon on Friday.

The move signifies a major shift in the ownership of a popular encrypted messaging service. Wickr offers a free version that is used by journalists, criminals, and the general public; Wickr also sells various paid products including a platform geared specifically for military communications and another for enterprises. Motherboard recently reported that Customs and Border Protection bought Wickr licenses.

"We’re excited to share that AWS [Amazon Web Services] has acquired Wickr, an innovative company that has developed the industry’s most secure, end-to-end encrypted, communication technology," Stephen Schmidt, vice president and chief information security officer for AWS, wrote in a press release.

"Today, public sector customers use Wickr for a diverse range of missions, from securely communicating with office-based employees to providing service members at the tactical edge with encrypted communications. Enterprise customers use Wickr to keep communications between employees and business partners private, while remaining compliant with regulatory requirements," Schmidt added.

An announcement on the Wickr website reads "We are pleased to share that Wickr has been acquired by Amazon and is now part of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) team. We’re proud to have created highly trusted, secure communication solutions for messaging, video conferencing, file sharing, and more. From our founding ten years ago, we have grown to serve organizations across a wide range of industries, all over the world. Together with AWS, we look forward to taking our solutions to the next level for our customers and partners."

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