Amazon has acquired American instant messaging app ‘Wickr’ to offer secure communications for businesses, government agencies, and individuals, who are moving to hybrid work environments, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Encrypted messaging services: Wickr is an encrypted messaging service, founded in 2012, and primarily used by the government agencies in the United States. Wickr app has been acquired by Amazon.com Inc’s cloud computing unit Amazon Web Services (AWS), for an undisclosed amount.
- Secured technology: Wickr offers the most secure, end-to-end encrypted, communication technology, with advanced security features, that are not available with traditional communications services across messaging, voice and video calling, file sharing, and collaboration.
- Innovation: We’re excited to share that AWS has acquired Wickr, an innovative company that has developed the industry’s most secure, end-to-end encrypted, communication technology,” Stephen Schmidt, Amazon Web Services’ vice president, wrote.
- Preservation of security: In Amazon’s case, Schmidt indicates the acquisition was at least partially influenced by the need to preserve information security while working remotely. “With the move to hybrid work environments, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, enterprises and government agencies have a growing desire to protect their communications,” he wrote.
- Whistleblower: The messaging application Wickr rivals the likes of Signal for providing encryption. The application has even been used by journalists and whistleblowers. According to Schmidt, Amazon Web Services will be offering Wickr services effective immediately and the current Wickr users would not see significant changes for the time being.
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