American eCommerce giant Amazon’s cloud unit Amazon Web Services (AWS) has acquired Wickr, a US-based encrypted messaging platform used by government agencies and enterprises.
Wickr utilizes end-to-end encryption, which means only people on either end of a conversation can decrypt each other’s messages. For additional security, the app also allows users to set their messages to self-destruct after a chosen period.
As per Amazon’s cloud unit, it will continue to offer Wickr services including end-to-end encrypted communications which meet certain regulatory requirements. The company did not disclose the terms of the transactions, including the amount.
The announcement follows Amazon Web Services’ recent attempts to expand its business. Amazon’s cloud computing services are used by thousands of government bodies.
Stephen Schmidt Vice President – AWS
“The need for secure communications services like those offered by Wickr has accelerated as the COVID-19 pandemic pushed many to adopt hybrid work environments. Wickr’s secure communications solutions help enterprises and government organizations adapt to this change in their workforces and is a welcome addition to the growing set of collaboration and productivity services that AWS offers customers and partners.”
“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,” Wickr said in a statement.
Wickr has marketed its “military-grade” encryption for commercial and government customers, and it was among the apps reportedly used to leak information from the White House during the Trump administration. Other apps offering encrypted communications include Facebook-owned WhatsApp, Apple’s iMessage, and foundation-operated Signal. As per the reports, these apps can enable users to send messages which cannot be intercepted or read by law enforcement authorities.
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