PGP Inventor, Navy SEAL Find Surveillance Niche in Silent Circle Marjorie Censer - The Washington Post
go to original June 24, 2013

Silicon Valley Legends, Phil Zimmermann and Jon Callas, along with Navy SEAL heros Mike Janke and Vic Hyder, discuss why encrypted, private communications are necessary in today's society. (CircledUp)

New disclosures about the National Security Agency’s surveillance efforts have given a boost to at least one Washington area company seeking to thwart prying eyes.

Silent Circle, a National Harbor-based start-up that encrypts phone calls and texts so that users don’t leave a trail, saw a jolt in business after news reports of the NSA’s initiative.

The episode has created a case study for crisis communications experts to ponder, as contractors feel out their role in the often-secret world of cybersecurity and data collection.

Mike Janke, one of the founders, estimated that the number of new customers for its subscription-based service surged by 400 percent. The privately held firm declined to say how many customers it has.

“We’re working with businesses that previously had bought 25 subscriptions now purchasing 800,” he said. The company dropped its price to encourage more customers to sign up.

Silent Circle’s efforts are not necessarily at odds with the government. In fact, the government is also a customer, as it seeks to protect its own communications.

Read the rest at The Washington Post

Send a secure text across town or whisper in someone's ear 10,000 miles away. Silent Circle has revolutionized how the world communicates ... securely. (CircledUp)

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