Twitter Buys Moxie Marlinspike's Crypto Startup 50
Sparrowvsrevolution writes "Twitter has confirmed that it's acquiring Whisper Systems, the mobile encryption startup founded by hacker and security researcher Moxie Marlinspike. Marlinspike has built some of the most noteworthy tools in applied cryptography over the last few years, including the encrypted calling app Redphone, the hardened Android OS WhisperCore, and Convergence, a system for fixing the broken SSL certificate authority system. Twitter won't yet say how it plans to integrate Marlinspike or his products."
Great (Score:4, Insightful)
A social networking company buying a company that makes security & anonymization software, what could possibly go wrong?
Re:Great (Score:5, Funny)
Heh.
Maybe between the two of them, they can find a business model.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
Well, I'm pretty sure Whisper System's business model was finding some stupid, bigger company to buy it. And Twitter's business model is definitely to find a large group of stupid people to buy their IPO. So as my PHB would say, there's definitely a sort of synergy to their respective corporate strategies.
Re:Great (Score:4, Funny)
In Corporate Amerika, Bank robs YOU! :-)
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Great (Score:5, Insightful)
Twitter is not a social network but a messaging system with an outstanding record in defending it's customers' private data.
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Re:Great (Score:5, Informative)
When information was requested about some people associated with Wikileaks [wired.com] they didn't just hand it over silently to the feds, and maybe increment their statistics by one later like Google. They notified the users in question ASAP, and held back the information until the final court order forced them to hand it over.
Re:Great (Score:4, Insightful)
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You do realize that his work on Android detracts from the ad revenue used to support its development, right?
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Regarding this story though, first thing that came to my mind was occupying the space that will soon to be created by Blackberry's downfall.
Re:Great (Score:5, Interesting)
What could possibly go wrong?
If you're a totalitarian regime that cripples the communication of your country to beat the shit out of the populace, plenty.
Twitter has been fucking up countries. Once you get encrypted twitter, it's going to get a lot harder to stay in charge.
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What makes Micro-bloging? or text message syndication? a "social network". No personal information need be involved, there is no friending or circles or cliques or whatever.
Or perhaps it IS a social network and what we need is a new name for things like facebook? Like maybe "social disease"?
I know (Score:1)
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Twitter has confirmed.... (Score:2)
Twitter has confirmed it, but has Netcraft? Until Netcraft confirms it I won't believe it!
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Old meme is old?
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Anonymous Coward is Coward, and should go back to 4chan.
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Yep, it's not moral, he sold out, but who can blame him? While being a security researcher is fun, doing it on a sailboat in your "free" time is funner to just about anyone. What I'm curious is which of projects is twitter after? None of them seem to really fit into what it's currently doing. I don't c a twitter android os in the future, nor do I see them doing telemarketing, so...? :)
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Please, explain how this is a moral issue, or how his actions are amoral. I'm genuinely curious to understand where you're coming from with that.
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of, pertaining to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong; ethical;
It is my belief his research and tools would have faired better without twitter intervention, Moxie's is a private security firm, twitter is a corporation. Moxie will have little say in the long term as to the direction of his projects, thereby he chose to sell out, which most people would consider amoral.
This is equivalent to me making a website / forum kind of thing, supporting it, building the community and then selling it to google w/o care for my supporters, or users.
Just my opinion, but you genuinely
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This is equivalent to me making a website / forum kind of thing, supporting it, building the community and then selling it to VA Linux w/o care for my supporters, or users.
Fixed it for you...
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On moral grounds? lolwut? Fucking ungrateful freetards...
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Re:Not so great (Score:5, Insightful)
I really don't agree with him selling his software to such a large corporation, on moral grounds. Will the software stay free and open?
I realize you probably aren't trying to be hypocritical (and aren't strictly speaking), you probably just didn't realize how hypocritical this sounds. Of course you are free to "disagree" with him selling his software... but it's his, and as his, he is free to do with it as he likes. That is fundamentally a part of freedom. And, ultimately, the goal of most human productivity is to profit by it (or at least one of the goals: it doesn't have to be the only or even the main one).
Also, it is most probable that Twitter realized their security is crap and wants tools, and / or people, who can improve that. Whisper Systems provides both. The moderately recent high-profile Twitter hacks have brought this problem to light, I cannot find fault with Twitter in trying to fix that problem. In fact, I laud them for doing so, if that is why they bought his company (and that seems extremely likely).
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Also, it is most probable that Twitter realized their security is crap and wants tools, and / or people, who can improve that. Whisper Systems provides both. The moderately recent high-profile Twitter hacks have brought this problem to light, I cannot find fault with Twitter in trying to fix that problem. In fact, I laud them for doing so, if that is why they bought his company (and that seems extremely likely).
I can find no fault with the sentiment (find a fix for our security problems) but I might find fault with their methods....
FWIW, I find your line of reasoning quite insightful. I'm picturing the management pow-wow (called after the umpteenth "high profile" account was hacked) ending with the directive "fix it now" and someone suggesting that "That hippie dude, Moxie Something-or-other is really good with security...", and the corporate wallet was whipped out with nary a further thought.
On the other hand
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Maybe they bought exclusive rights to his name (Score:3)
So he'll be forced to use something less grating?
His projects have disappeared (Score:2)
Re:His projects have disappeared (Score:5, Interesting)
From their updates page:
"The Transition:
The Whisper Systems software as our users know it will live on (and we have some surprises in store that we're excited about), but there is unfortunately a transition period where we will have to temporarily take our products and services offline. RedPhone service will be interrupted immediately, but FlashBack users have a month to pull off any backup data they would like before that service also goes offline. "
"Arab Spring" (Score:3)
Possibly Twitter is buying into all the hype about how they're basically responsible for revolution and social change in the Middle East and is doing this to become further entrenched as the tool of choice for political dissidents? I'm pretty sure that's the type of business model that lands your products on trade restriction lists prettt quickly, but I can't see what else they want this for.
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...social change in the Middle East...
What social change? The cops are still shooting at people. And, as the old cliche goes, the 'new boss is the same as the old boss'. Individuals come and go. The system stands forever.
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I think things are going relatively well in Tunisia at this point, if not Egypt/Syria/Yemen.
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Apparently this is actually harming attempts at social change in the Middle East, because people there that were previously using RedPhone to communicate have found it totally disabled without any advance warning.
Trademark (Score:4, Funny)
Well besides the talents of Mr. Marlinspike and associates which will no doubt be useful, there is the trademark "Whisper" that Twitter is gaining.
So in addition to Tweeting you will be able to Whisper.
He is the bomb with the ladies... (Score:2)
Did that guy come from a blaxploitation movie?