One service, VIPole Secure Messenger, is reporting a 40% increase in user numbers in the last month following several incidents that have sparked concerns over apparent vulnerabilities in rival applications such as Telegram and WhatsApp.
The current wave of new registrations in Europe coincided with an announcement from Russian software firm Falcongaze that its SecureTower business communications management software now has the ability to monitor conversations on popular personal messaging apps such as Telegram, which are increasingly being used in a business context.
In a further blow to user confidence, Reuters reported on August 2nd that the private telephone numbers of 15 million Iranian Telegram users have been identified by hackers, making it the largest known breach of the encrypted communications system to date.
Meanwhile in Brazil, WhatsApp users, frustrated with repeated attempts by the Brazilian authorities to block the service, are said by ViPole to have been switching to its Secure Messenger. WhatsApp has been ordered offline by a judge three times this year for failing to turn over user information.
Several features of the VIPole system are claimed to make it an attractive alternative to apps like Telegram, WhatsApp, Skype and Slack. VIPole Secure Messenger was designed around end-to-end encryption to ensure all data, including multi-user video and audio conferencing, is protected both during transit and at rest.
The level of encryption ensures that communications cannot be intercepted or monitored by anyone, including the service provider. Data is therefore secure, even from the eyes of intruders or rogue employees intent on the unauthorised leaking of material. The registration process is different from Telegram, removing the risk of personally identifiable data such as telephone numbers being exposed.
“Users around the world are rejecting the idea of surveillance-based security in favour of one of managed, structured encryption,” said VIPole’s Christopher Miller, head of development. “Eavesdropping on the communications of users cannot prevent data loss, or the leaking of sensitive information. The most effective way to ensure data remains properly secure is to fully protect it with encryption, and then manage who has access to it.”
All conversations and offline identities remain completely private in VIPole. While system administrators do not have access to any user content, they have very powerful controls over network access and storage, including the ability to block and remote-wipe devices.
As well as its cloud-based business service, VIPole is available as an on-premise solution, allowing companies to take total control of their data in a completely closed communications eco-system. Taking complete ownership of the messaging network in this way makes it very resilient and difficult for third parties to force offline.
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