Signal App Owner: Who is Moxie Marlinspike, Country of Origin, and His Take on End-to-End Encryption

Moxie Marlinspike, Signal app owner, and co-author of Signal Protocol encryption used by different messaging apps has faced numerous questions about the implications of his igneous codes to privacy and law enforcement. Which among the two does he adhere to?

Who Own Signal App? Meet Moxie Marlinspike

Marlinkspike, who also goes by the name Matthew Rosenfeld has had a long impressive track record before he has ever laid his hands on the famous Signal Protocol encryption that is being used today by WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Signal, and Skype. He has gone through long lengths before he has made a bold move to hopefully bring back privacy to the world, according to the New Yorker. He founded Signal app along with Brian Action, a co-founder of WhatsApp.

As a teen from the state of Georgia, USA, Marlinspike went to San Francisco to work for several tech companies and infrastructure software makers. By 2010, he was already the chief technology officer and co-founder of Whisper Systems. During that time, Marlinspike's company already utilized TextSecure and Redphone, which used end-to-end encrypted messaging and calling.

In late 2011, Twitter acquired the company. The purpose was to allow Marlinspike to help the then starting social media company in the security startup system. During that time, Marlinspike became the head of cybersecurity in the now famous app Twitter.

In 2013, he left Twitter to launch Open Whisper Systems to continue the development of textSecure and Redphone. During that same year Marlinspike, along with his co-founder Trevor Perrin started improving systems for the Signal Protocol. By 2015, the two apps TextSecure and Redphone were conjoined into a single application as Signal. Shortly after, they have worked with Whatsapp, Google, and Facebook into integrating the technology to messaging services for a more secure platform. It was not until 2018 that MarlinSpike and Brian Acton, the co founder of Whatsapp has launched the Signal Foundation.

Signal app owner and Privacy Controversies

Today, the entrepreneur, computer security researcher, and cryptographer has been faced with numerous questions and interviews about what secure coded communication system may imply for both users and the government.

In an interview with Marlinspike via Wired, the Signal founder shares his sentiments about privacy and government.

According to the interview, he says "Perhaps law enforcement shouldn't be omniscient. They already have a tremendous amount of information. He notes that the FBI already has access to users' call logs. "What the FBI seems to be saying is that we need this because we might be missing something. Obliquely, they're asking us to take steps toward a world where that isn't possible. And I don't know if that's the world we want to live in." He highlights that disallowing end-to-end encryption would make the world an unlikable place to live as it would be too intruding of users' privacy. Furthermore, he has made his philosophy known: that government should not know everything, that they should not be omniscient.

See more: UK Government Wants Access To WhatsApp: 'There Should Be No Place For Terrorists To Hide'

Furthermore, what makes MarlinSpike truly interesting is his firm stand on what this secure communication system might bring. He admits that it may cause people to do illegal things. "I actually think that law enforcement should be difficult, And I think it should actually be possible to break the law.", he says boldly. This is reflective of his recent blog, "We Should all have something to hide".

Although this has created controversies online, many still believe that this has been a cutting-edge discovery for privacy, including Whatsapp co-founder Brian Acton. He says "Moxie has brought us a world-class, state-of-the-art, end-to-end encryption system. I want to emphasize: world-class."

So far, governments have been struggling to deal with various apps such as Facebook, Apple, and Whatsapp in their legal privacy dealings. None of these have been surpassed by the government so far, and therefore Signal, although next in line, still has more time in their hands. Is the Signal creator anti-government? Or is he the modern-day hero who can finally bring back privacy? The opinion is yours to make.

Written by Nikki Delgado