Right now there's a great deal of celebration in Egypt. President Hosni Mubarak has resigned and protesters are cheering that their main goal has been accomplished. It's uncertain what'll happen next, but we do know that there are plenty of tools available to help tech-savvy Egyptians through any changes.
One of those tools is a set of Android-based apps which allow for encrypted communications. Tools which any of us could use.
As Andy Greenberg at Forbes' Firewall blog reports, a company called Whisper Systems has released new, Egypt-specific versions of two existing Android applications: RedPhone, an encrypted voice-over-Internet calling app, and TextSecure, an app which encrypts text messages.
Those applications are free and allow users to easily initiate secure conversations — be they over VoIP or through SMS — without the worry that someone might be able to trace or tap them.
Sounds great, but not like something you really need to use, right? We agree, but we're glad that apps like those exist and that they're available in case there's a crazy protest, nosy government, or any other issue that might prompt us to reach for our tinfoil hats.
Related stories:
- Egyptian group texting app helped get word out
- Memorial site remembers Egyptians killed in protests
- Techies make way for stranded Egyptians to be heard
- Is Internet access a human right?
Rosa Golijan writes about tech here and there. If she wasn't obsessed with Twitter, she'd tell you to go like her on Facebook.