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Wickr Me, one Amazonowned encrypted chat platform, which stopped accepting new users after December 31, and will cease operations completely on December 31 of this year, according to a notification From the company.
The decision, first announced in November, follows some controversy surrounding the ultra-secure chat app, which allows users to sign up without a phone number or other potentially identifying information. , making it a favorite among security-conscious groups including hackers, drug dealers, and journalists.
In June, a NBC News investigates revealed that Wickr Me had become a favorite for many traffickers in child sexual abuse material. The investigation identified 72 lawsuits over the past five years in which the defendant allegedly used Wickr (common name) to trade child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement officials and representatives from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children told NBC News at the time that Wickr had not done enough to detect or report the trafficking of such material. on its platform.
In a statement provided to NBC News in June, a spokesperson for Amazon Web Services said: “Amazon is committed to preventing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in every segment of our business, including Wickr, which maintains strict Terms of Use that explicitly prohibit illegal activity.We act quickly on reports of illegal behavior, responding immediately to reports of illegal activity. request from law enforcement and take appropriate action. Anyone found to be in violation of our terms may have their account terminated.”
“Wickr is fully responding appropriately and cooperating with law enforcement on these important issues,” a spokesperson said.
In its statement in November, the company explained that it would be shutting down Wickr Me to devote more resources and focus on its B2B products, AWS Wickr and Wickr Enterprise. The post doesn’t mention the business it has with Government agenciesincluding the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.
When NBC News tried to create a new test account on the app on January 1st, it displayed a pop-up that said, “Wickr Me will not support new users as of December 31, 2018. 2022. Wickr Me will not be available after December 31, 2023.”
Wickr was founded in 2012, applying high-level encryption to a consumer messaging product. By 2015, the company had raised $39 million in funding. That same year, multiple outlets reported that the Islamic State terrorist organization was using the app to recruit new members. In 2016, one of the first successful prosecutions against someone selling child pornography on the app was reported by Deseret Morning News.
In June 2021, Wickr was acquired by Amazon Web Services. Since the acquisition, the company has faced questions about government contracts with agencies such as Customs and Border Protection, and has attracted attention for its role in legal cases. scandal related to the profile in which the application was used to automatically destroy government communications.
