Type Private Founder Justin Schwartz Products Privatext mobile app | Founded 2011 Headquarters New York City | |
Industry Information security and mobile apps | ||
Privatext is a mobile app company founded in 2011, which provides an encrypted text service.
Contents
History
Privatext is a mobile app that allows those with the Privatext app to send secure text messages to each other. The idea for the company came to founder Justin Schwartz after his friend texted his boss something that was intended for his girlfriend, and the boss proceeded to tell all of the friend's coworkers for a laugh. This inspired Schwartz to produce an app that would prevent misdirected texts, allow the deletion of mis-sent texts, and prevent text message interception by third parties. The company that produces the app was founded by Schwartz in 2011, and between 2011 and 2012 Schwartz developed the seed money for the company before attracting angel investment. By the summer of 2012 Privatext had $300,000 in angel investment capital. The app officially launched in June 2013. Schwartz remains the CEO of the company.
The app
According to Michael Hines, "the app uses end-to-end encryption to ensure privacy. The system also deletes messages after they've been read or after a pre-set amount of time has passed. The Privatext app allows you to shield your identity by letting you log-in using a PIN. A password can be set so that only you can access your account and read your messages." The free consumer version is available for Apple and Android smartphones. Privatext also offers customized enterprise products for businesses and hospitals. The app is able to send and receive both text and photos, and the encryption technology prevents the texts from being intercepted, saved, or copied.
This is additionally supported by Privatext's use of its own servers, which ensures that wireless carriers are unable to intercept the messages during delivery. If the sender does realize they have sent a text they wish they had not, they have the ability to delete it immediately. Clayton Morris of Fox News Channel has given examples of how the app can be used, for example, in sending sensitive financial information to a partner, and having it vanish from both phones and the central Privatext server within a set period of minutes, ensuring that sensitive communications are not available to individuals later trying to hack into the mobile device. Other reviewers of the app have focused on the uses it has for preventing embarrassing personal information or communications from becoming available to unintended parties.