Twitter releases TextSecure as open source
Twitter has released the code to Whisper Systems' TextSecure application as open source. The move is a first step towards releasing all of the software developed by Whisper Systems as open source. The company announced on its developer blog that the code for TextSecure – a secure text messaging client for Android that replaces the standard Android texting app and which encrypts all messages – is the first part of the code to be made available and that the company hopes users will find it useful and developers will build upon it.
In the announcement, Chris Aniszczyk, Twitter's Open Source Manager, says that it intends to release all of Whisper System's code but wants first to ensure that "it meets legal requirements and is consumable by the open source community". Whisper Systems, founded by Moxie Marlinspike, specialised in security software for the Android operating system, and was acquired by Twitter in November.
The source code for TextSecure is available to download from Whisper Systems's github repository and is published under the GPLv3.
See also:
- Android apps for encrypting calls and texts, a report from The H.
(ehe)