Philip Zimmermann: king of encryption reveals his fears for privacy

The creator of PGP has moved his mobile-encryption firm Silent Circle to Switzerland to be free of US mass surveillance. Here he explains why

When Philip Zimmermann was campaigning for nuclear disarmament in the 1980s, he kept an escape plan in his back pocket. The inventor of the world’s most widely used email encryption system, Pretty Good Privacy – more commonly known as PGP - was ready to move his family from Colorado to New Zealand at a moment’s notice.

The button was never pressed and the Zimmermanns stayed put. Until this year, that is. At 61, the Internet Hall of Fame inductee and founder of three-year-old mobile encryption start-up Silent Circle has just left America for Switzerland. In the end, it was not the nuclear threat that convinced Zimmermann to leave his homeland, but the surveillance arms race.

Today, email can be routinely and automatically scanned for interesting keywords, on a vast scale, without detection. This is like driftnet fishing.”

Continue reading...

UN calls for more Nepal quake aid

One month after the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal, the United Nations calls for more food aid and shelter for the victims.

Troubled Malaysia Airlines to be rebranded next week

New name and livery are on the cards and CEO Christoph Mueller says the restructured company will be like a 'start-up'.

How people power took on big business in the fight for net neutrality in India

When Indian mobile operators tried to charge extra for messaging apps like WhatsApp, a grassroots campaign for a free internet was mobilised

At the 2014 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Jan Koum, chief executive of WhatsApp, made an announcement that would cause much unease 4,000 miles away in New Delhi. “We want to make sure people always have the ability to stay in touch with their friends and loved ones really affordably,” he said. “We’re going to introduce voice on WhatsApp in the second quarter of this year.”

India’s telecom operators were less than enthusiastic about this announcement.. With more than 70m users in India, the instant messaging platform has emerged as one of the most popular alternatives to conventional text messaging - enough to make telecom operators jittery.

Related: Can the internet be saved without harming democracy?

Continue reading...

Nepal calls for direct quake funding

One month after the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal, the country's finance minister calls for more direct aid funding.

Asian markets round-up: Most bourses rise on Beijing's latest stimulus package

Markets in Tokyo and Shanghai strike fresh multi-year highs amid thin-Asian trade.

Japan shares at 15-year high on data

Japanese shares close at a 15-year high after data showed the country's trade account fell into a deficit in April, but was still better than expected.