Created in 2012, on the surface it is a very normal messaging app. However, it uses military-grade encryption algorithms that makes chats secret
Recently WhatsApp started testing the possibility of messages deleting themselves after a certain period of time. Most people have thought of the phrase “This message will self-destruct in X seconds,” which we’ve repeatedly heard in movies like Mission: Impossible or in cartoons like Inspector Gadget. The more astute, however, have thought of Wickr.
Wickr is an instant messaging app born in 2012 with a very specific focus: to ensure the security and privacy of communications between its users. Among its functions there is also the one to set the duration of messages: between only one second and 24 hours. After this period, the messages literally vanish into thin air. Designed to be used mainly at a corporate level, within teams that have to exchange material of vital importance for the company, Wickr was soon discovered and appreciated also by politicians and criminals. And that’s because it’s virtually impossible to hack, even for the best law enforcement experts.
How Wickr Works
Apparently Wickr is a normal instant messaging app: you send and receive text messages, photos, videos and files in a way that’s absolutely similar to WhatsApp, Messenger and other similar apps. “Under the hood”, however, Wickr has a powerful encryption engine that makes it very difficult to read any messages that may be intercepted. Messages that, by the way, self-destruct within a specific amount of time without leaving any trace.
The app also hides any trace of the sender and receiver of deleted messages, making it impossible to even know that the two people have been in contact with each other. If someone steals or seizes your phone, therefore, from Wickr will never get a spider out of the hole
Politicians, hackers and drug dealers love Wickr
Because of its features Wickr has been chosen by several “professional categories” who care about privacy. In 2015, for example, it turned out that some very high-level Australian politicians, including Telecommunications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, were using Wickr to exchange secret messages. On the dark/deep Web, on the other hand, Wickr has been highly regarded since its inception and is used to finalize purchases and sales of illegal goods: from weapons, to stolen data packages, to drug shipments.