New York, Sept.4.─ The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) has launched a partnership with global encrypted communications firm Silent Circle to protect the private communications of political dissidents, human rights groups, and civil society organizations in at-risk scenarios. As a first step, Washington D.C.-based Silent Circle will be donating hundreds of licenses for Silent Phone, the company's peer-to-peer mobile phone encryption service, to Tibetan groups who come under frequent cyber attacks.
"Whistleblowers, human rights defenders, and exile groups absolutely need this sort of technology to keep their communications out of the hands of governments. It is laudable that Silent Circle has recognized this need and is so generously prepared to publicly declare their commitment to be part of a long-lasting solution," said HRF president Thor Halvorssen.
Last month, the Tibetan government's website was hacked in an attempt to spy on human rights activists visiting the site. This incident is the latest in a long line of China-based malware attacks that range from direct surveillance to the email phishing described by Tibetan prime minister Lobsang Sangay in his speech at the 2013 Oslo Freedom Forum.
"Silent Circle was founded to help people and organizations, including targeted human rights groups, have the assurance of private and confidential communications in the digital world," said Silent Circle Chief Operating Officer Vic Hyder. "We believe private communications are a fundamental right for all".
Equipped with Silent Circle's technology, Tibetans will be able to conduct secure conference calls, send text messages, and transfer files with their colleagues across the globe ...
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HRF Contact: Alex Gladstein, 212.246.8486, alex@thehrf.org
Silent Circle Contact: Tom Resau, 703-877-8103, tom@w2comm.com