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47-701: On February 21, 2018, Moxie Marlinspike and WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton announced the formation of the Signal Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization . The foundation was started with an initial $ 50 million loan from Acton, who had left WhatsApp's parent company, Facebook, in September 2017. The Freedom of the Press Foundation had previously served as the Signal project's fiscal sponsor and continued to accept donations on behalf of

94-696: A cellular mobile telephone number to sign up. In January 2018, WhatsApp released a standalone business app called WhatsApp Business which can communicate with the standard WhatsApp client. The service was created by WhatsApp Inc. of Mountain View, California , which was acquired by Facebook in February 2014 for approximately US$ 19.3 billion. It became the world's most popular messaging application by 2015, and had more than 2   billion users worldwide by February 2020, confirmed four years later by new 200M registrations per month. By 2016, it had become

141-663: A $ 1.5 billion valuation, Facebook, Inc. (now Meta Platforms ) announced it was acquiring WhatsApp for US$ 19 billion, its largest acquisition to date. At the time, it was the largest acquisition of a venture-capital-backed company in history. Sequoia Capital received an approximate 5,000% return on its initial investment. Facebook, which was advised by Allen & Co, paid $ 4 billion in cash, $ 12 billion in Facebook shares, and, advised by Morgan Stanley , an additional $ 3 billion in restricted stock units granted to WhatsApp's founders Koum and Acton. Employee stock

188-507: A barrier faced by users without payment cards . He also said that the app would not display any third-party ads, and that it would have new features such as the ability to communicate with businesses. On May 18, 2017, the European Commission announced that it was fining Facebook €110 million for "providing misleading information about WhatsApp takeover" in 2014. The Commission said that in 2014 when Facebook acquired

235-573: A cloud-based WPA cracking service and a targeted anonymity service called GoogleSharing. Marlinspike began his career working for several technology companies, including enterprise infrastructure software maker BEA Systems Inc . In 2010, Marlinspike was the chief technology officer and co-founder of Whisper Systems , an enterprise mobile security startup company. In May 2010, Whisper Systems launched TextSecure and RedPhone . These were applications that provided end-to-end encrypted SMS messaging and voice calling, respectively. Twitter acquired

282-533: A controversial new Privacy Policy allowing WhatsApp to share data with its parent company, Facebook; users who did not accept by February 8, 2021, would lose access to the app. This led many users to ditch WhatsApp and move to other services such as Signal and Telegram . However, Facebook said the WhatsApp policy would not apply in the EU, since it violates the principles of GDPR . Facing criticism, WhatsApp postponed

329-502: A flight from the Dominican Republic in 2010, Marlinspike was detained by federal agents for nearly five hours, all his electronic devices were confiscated, and at first agents claimed he would only get them back if he provided his passwords so they could decrypt the data. Marlinspike refused to do this, and the devices were eventually returned, though he noted that he could no longer trust them, saying, "They could have modified

376-602: A keynote presentation at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February 2014, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp was closely related to the Internet.org vision. A TechCrunch article said about Zuckerberg's vision: The idea, he said, is to develop a group of basic internet services that would be free of charge to use – "a 911 for the internet". These could be

423-606: A man-in-the-middle attack. In 2011, the same vulnerability was discovered to have remained in the SSL/TLS implementation on Apple Inc. 's iOS . Also notably, Marlinspike presented a 2009 paper in which he introduced the concept of a null-prefix attack on SSL certificates. He revealed that all major SSL implementations failed to properly verify the Common Name value of a certificate, so that they could be tricked into accepting forged certificates by embedding null characters into

470-504: A new Status feature similar to Snapchat and Facebook stories. In July 2017, WhatsApp added support for file uploads of all file types, with a limit of 100 MB. Previously between March 2016 and May 2017, only limited file types categorised as images (JPG, PNG, GIF), videos (MP4, AVI), and documents (CSV, DOC/DOCX, PDF, PPT/PPTX, RTF, TXT, XLS/XLSX), were allowed to be shared for file attachments. Later in September 2018, WhatsApp introduced group audio and video call features. In October,

517-415: A new job. Acton encouraged him to wait for a "few more months". In June 2009, when the app had been downloaded by only a handful of Fishman's Russian-speaking friends, Apple launched push notifications , allowing users to be pinged even when not using the app. Koum updated WhatsApp so that everyone in the user's network would be notified when a user's status changed. This new facility, to Koum's surprise,

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564-449: A partnership with Startup India to provide 500 startups with Facebook ad credits of $ 500 each. In December 2019, WhatsApp announced that a new update would lock out any Apple users who hadn't updated to iOS 9 or higher and Samsung, Huawei, Sony and Google users who hadn't updated to version 4.0 by February 1, 2020. The company also reported that Windows Phone operating systems would no longer be supported after December 31, 2019. WhatsApp

611-711: A phone's Contacts menu, showing if a person was at work or on a call. Their discussions often took place at the home of Koum's Russian friend Alex Fishman in West San Jose. They realized that to take the idea further, they would need an iPhone developer. Fishman visited RentACoder.com, found Russian developer Igor Solomennikov, and introduced him to Koum. Koum named the app WhatsApp to sound like " what's up ". On February 24, 2009, he incorporated WhatsApp Inc. in California. However, when early versions of WhatsApp kept crashing , Koum considered giving up and looking for

658-411: A slate of improvements for the iOS version of WhatsApp were released: including the ability to search for messages in your chat history, trimming long videos to a sendable size, the ability to cancel media messages as they upload or download, and previewing photos before sending them. In March 2012, WhatsApp improved its location-sharing function, allowing users to share not only their location, but also

705-469: A social networking service like Facebook, a messaging service, maybe search and other things like weather. Providing a bundle of these free of charge to users will work like a gateway drug of sorts – users who may be able to afford data services and phones these days just don't see the point of why they would pay for those data services. This would give them some context for why they are important, and that will lead them to pay for more services like this – or so

752-456: A user. He also announced the release of a tool, sslstrip , that would automatically perform these types of man-in-the-middle attacks. The HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) specification was subsequently developed to combat these attacks. Marlinspike has discovered a number of different vulnerabilities in popular SSL implementations. Notably, he published a 2002 paper on exploiting SSL/TLS implementations that did not correctly verify

799-604: Is the creator of Signal , co-founder of the Signal Technology Foundation , and served as the first CEO of Signal Messenger LLC . He is also a co-author of the Signal Protocol encryption used by Signal, WhatsApp , Google Messages , Facebook Messenger , and Skype . Marlinspike is a former head of the security team at Twitter and the author of a proposed SSL authentication system replacement called Convergence . He previously maintained

846-795: The Bahamas while making a " video zine " about their journey called Hold Fast . He is also an anarchist , and several of his essays and speeches are published on the website The Anarchist Library , including "An Anarchist Critique of Democracy" and "The Promise of Defeat." WhatsApp WhatsApp (officially WhatsApp Messenger ) is an instant messaging (IM) and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service owned by technology conglomerate Meta . It allows users to send text , voice messages and video messages, make voice and video calls, and share images, documents, user locations, and other content. WhatsApp's client application runs on mobile devices , and can be accessed from computers. The service requires

893-603: The Facebook Messenger platform. In January 2018, WhatsApp launched WhatsApp Business for small business use. In April 2018, WhatsApp co-founder and CEO Jan Koum announced he would be leaving the company. By leaving before November 2018, due to concerns about privacy, advertising, and monetization by Facebook, Acton and Koum gave up $ 1.3 billion in unvested stock options. Facebook later announced that Koum's replacement would be Chris Daniels. On November 25, 2019, WhatsApp announced an investment of $ 250,000 through

940-489: The X.509 v3 "BasicConstraints" extension in public key certificate chains. This allowed anyone with a valid CA-signed certificate for any domain name to create what appeared to be valid CA-signed certificates for any other domain. The vulnerable SSL/TLS implementations included the Microsoft CryptoAPI , making Internet Explorer and all other Windows software that relied on SSL/TLS connections vulnerable to

987-511: The "Swipe to Reply" option was added to the Android beta version, 16 months after it was introduced for iOS. On October 25, 2018, WhatsApp announced support for Stickers. But unlike other platforms WhatsApp requires third-party apps to add Stickers to WhatsApp. In October 2019, WhatsApp officially launched a new fingerprint app-locking feature for Android users. In early 2020, WhatsApp launched its "dark mode" for iPhone and Android devices –

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1034-811: The CA problem, to the Internet Engineering Task Force . In 2012, Marlinspike and David Hulton presented research that makes it possible to reduce the security of MS-CHAPv2 handshakes to a single DES encryption . Hulton built hardware capable of cracking the remaining DES encryption in less than 24 hours, and the two made the hardware available for anyone to use as an Internet service. In 2013, Marlinspike published emails on his blog that he claimed were from Saudi Arabian telecom service Mobily soliciting his help in surveilling their customers, including intercepting communications running through various applications. Marlinspike refused to help, making

1081-605: The CN field. In 2011, Marlinspike presented a talk, "SSL And The Future Of Authenticity", at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas . He outlined many of the problems with certificate authorities and announced the release of a software project called Convergence to replace them. In 2012, Marlinspike and Perrin submitted an Internet Draft for TACK, which is designed to provide SSL certificate pinning and help solve

1128-481: The app to launch an in-app shopping process, where they can order groceries. In 2022, WhatsApp added the ability for users to turn off their online status. In March 2024, Meta announced that WhatsApp would let third-party messaging services enable interoperability with WhatsApp, a requirement of the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA). This allows users to send messages between other messaging apps and WhatsApp while maintaining end-to-end encryption. In November 2010,

1175-449: The company for an undisclosed amount in late 2011. The acquisition was done "primarily so that Mr. Marlinspike could help the then-startup improve its security". During his time as Twitter's head of cybersecurity, the firm made Whisper Systems' apps open source . Marlinspike left Twitter in early 2013 and founded Open Whisper Systems as a collaborative open source project for the continued development of TextSecure and RedPhone. At

1222-541: The company to start a nonprofit group, later revealed as the Signal Foundation , which developed the WhatsApp competitor Signal . He explained his reasons for leaving in an interview with Forbes a year later. WhatsApp also announced a forthcoming business platform to enable companies to provide customer service at scale, and airlines KLM and Aeroméxico announced their participation in the testing. Both airlines had previously launched customer services on

1269-696: The company. In October 2009, Acton persuaded five former friends at Yahoo! to invest $ 250,000 in seed funding , and Acton became a co-founder and was given a stake. He officially joined WhatsApp on November 1. Koum then hired a friend in Los Angeles , Chris Peiffer, to develop a BlackBerry version, which arrived two months later. Subsequently, WhatsApp for Symbian OS was added in May 2010, and for Android OS in August 2010. In 2010 Google made multiple acquisition offers for WhatsApp, which were all declined. To cover

1316-555: The cost of sending verification texts to users, WhatsApp was changed from a free service to a paid one. In December 2009, the ability to send photos was added to the iOS version. By early 2011, WhatsApp was one of the top 20 apps in the U.S. Apple App Store. In April 2011, Sequoia Capital invested about $ 8 million for more than 15% of the company, after months of negotiation by Sequoia partner Jim Goetz . By February 2013, WhatsApp had about 200 million active users and 50 staff members. Sequoia invested another $ 50 million, and WhatsApp

1363-473: The emails public instead. Mobily denied the allegations. "We never communicate with hackers", the company said. Marlinspike says that when flying within the United States he is unable to print his own boarding pass , is required to have airline ticketing agents make a phone call in order to issue one, and is subjected to secondary screening at TSA security checkpoints. While entering the U.S. on

1410-428: The formation of the Signal Technology Foundation and its subsidiary, Signal Messenger LLC. Marlinspike served as Signal Messenger's first CEO until stepping down on January 10, 2022. In a 2009 paper, Marlinspike introduced the concept of SSL stripping, a man-in-the-middle attack in which a network attacker could prevent a web browser from upgrading to an SSL connection in a way that would likely go unnoticed by

1457-414: The hardware or installed new keyboard firmware." Originally from the state of Georgia , Marlinspike moved to San Francisco in the late 1990s at age 18. The name Moxie Marlinspike is an assumed name partly derived from a childhood nickname. Marlinspike is a sailing enthusiast and master mariner . In 2004, he bought a derelict sailboat and, with three friends, refurbished it and sailed around

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1504-617: The hope goes. Three days after announcing the Facebook purchase, Koum said they were working to introduce voice calls. He also said that new mobile phones would be sold in Germany with the WhatsApp brand, and that their ultimate goal was to be on all smartphones . In August 2014, WhatsApp was the most popular messaging app in the world, with more than 600 million users. By early January 2015, WhatsApp had 700 million monthly users and over 30 billion messages every day. In April 2015, Forbes predicted that between 2012 and 2018,

1551-871: The internet. It was also not available for iOS users on launch, due to limitations from Apple. Voice calls between two accounts were added to the app in March and April 2015. By June 2016, the company's blog reported more than 100 million voice calls per day were being placed on WhatsApp. On November 10, 2016, WhatsApp launched a beta version of two-factor authentication for Android users, which allowed them to use their email addresses for further protection. Also in November 2016, Facebook ceased collecting WhatsApp data for advertising in Europe. Later that month, video calls between two accounts were introduced. On February 24, 2017, (WhatsApp's 8th birthday), WhatsApp launched

1598-438: The location of places, such as restaurants or hotels. In August 2013, WhatsApp added voice messages to their apps, giving users a way to send short audio recordings directly in their chats. In January 2015, WhatsApp launched a web client that allowed users to scan a QR code with their mobile app, mirroring their chats to their browser. The web client was not standalone, and required the user's phone to stay on and connected to

1645-493: The messaging app, it "falsely claimed it was technically impossible to automatically combine user information from Facebook and WhatsApp." However, in the summer of 2016, WhatsApp had begun sharing user information with its parent company, allowing information such as phone numbers to be used for targeted Facebook advertisements. Facebook acknowledged the breach, but said the errors in their 2014 filings were "not intentional". In September 2017, WhatsApp's co-founder Brian Acton left

1692-587: The primary means of Internet communication in regions including the Americas , the Indian subcontinent , and large parts of Europe and Africa . WhatsApp was founded in February 2009 by Brian Acton and Jan Koum , former employees of Yahoo! A month earlier, after Koum purchased an iPhone , he and Acton decided to create an app for the App Store . The idea started off as an app that would display statuses in

1739-452: The project while the foundation's non-profit status was pending. By the end of 2018, the loan had increased to $ 105,000,400, which is due to be repaid on February 28, 2068. The loan is unsecured and at 0% interest. Signal Foundation has been led by a Chairman, which is separate from the leadership roles of Signal Messenger. As of June 2023, the Signal Foundation board of directors has five members: Emeritus members: Signal Messenger LLC

1786-502: The search. Along with the Chairman of the Signal Foundation, Signal Messenger has been traditionally led by a CEO. This was until September 2022, when a new role of President was created, which is dedicated to more core lanes of strategy. Moxie Marlinspike Matthew Rosenfeld , better known by the pseudonym Moxie Marlinspike , is an American entrepreneur , cryptographer , and computer security researcher. Marlinspike

1833-500: The telecommunications industry would lose $ 386 billion because of "over-the-top" services like WhatsApp and Skype . That month, WhatsApp had over 800 million users. By September 2015, it had grown to 900 million; and by February 2016, one billion. On November 30, 2015, the Android WhatsApp client made links to messaging service Telegram unclickable and uncopyable. Multiple sources confirmed that it

1880-632: The time, Marlinspike and Trevor Perrin started developing the Signal Protocol , an early version of which was first introduced in the TextSecure app in February 2014. In November 2015, Open Whisper Systems unified the TextSecure and RedPhone applications as Signal . Between 2014 and 2016, Marlinspike worked with WhatsApp , Facebook , and Google to integrate the Signal Protocol into their messaging services. On February 21, 2018, Marlinspike and WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton announced

1927-491: The update to May 15, 2021, but said they had no plans to limit functionality of users, nor nag users who did not approve the new terms. On October 4, 2021, Facebook had its worst outage since 2008 , which also affected other platforms owned by Facebook, such as Instagram and WhatsApp. In August 2022, WhatsApp launched an integration with JioMart , available only to users in India. Local users can text special numbers in

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1974-556: Was announced to be the 3rd most downloaded mobile phone app of the decade 2010–2019. In March, WhatsApp partnered with the World Health Organization and UNICEF to provide messaging hotlines for people to get information on the 2019–2020 coronavirus pandemic . In the same month WhatsApp began testing a feature to help users find out more information and context about information they receive to help combat misinformation. In January 2021, WhatsApp announced

2021-600: Was founded simultaneously with the Signal Technology Foundation and operates as its subsidiary. It is responsible for the development of the Signal messaging app and the Signal Protocol . Moxie Marlinspike served as Signal Messenger's first CEO until stepping down on January 10, 2022. Brian Acton volunteered to serve as interim CEO while the organization searched for a new CEO. In June 2023, Signal announced that Acton would be staying on as CEO following

2068-434: Was intentional, not a bug, and that it had been implemented when the Android source code that recognized Telegram URLs had been identified. (The word "telegram" appeared in WhatsApp's code. ) Some considered it an anti-competitive measure; WhatsApp offered no explanation. On January 18, 2016, WhatsApp's co-founder Jan Koum announced that it would no longer charge users a $ 1 annual subscription fee, in an effort to remove

2115-590: Was scheduled to vest over four years subsequent to closing. Days after the announcement, WhatsApp users experienced a loss of service, leading to anger across social media. The acquisition was influenced by the data provided by Onavo , Facebook's research app for monitoring competitors and trending usage of social activities on mobile phones, as well as startups that were performing "unusually well". The acquisition caused many users to try, or move to, other message services. Telegram claimed that it acquired 8 million new users. and Line , 2 million. At

2162-412: Was used by users to ping "each other with jokey custom statuses like, 'I woke up late' or 'I'm on my way.'" Fishman said "At some point it sort of became instant messaging". WhatsApp 2.0, released for iPhone in August 2009, featured a purpose-designed messaging component; the number of active users suddenly increased to 250,000. Although Acton was working on another startup idea, he decided to join

2209-429: Was valued at $ 1.5 billion. Some time in 2013 WhatsApp acquired Santa Clara–based startup SkyMobius, the developers of Vtok, a video and voice calling app. In a December 2013 blog post, WhatsApp claimed that 400 million active users used the service each month. The year 2013 ended with $ 148 million in expenses, of which $ 138 million in losses. On February 19, 2014, one year after a venture capital financing round at

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