PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release -Wednesday, 07 December 2016

 New UK surveillance legislation driving user growth, says VIPOLE

VIPOLE reports rapidly increasing downloads of its end-to-end encrypted communications platform ahead of the introduction of the so-called "Snoopers Charter" into UK law early next year.

The controversial Investigatory Powers Bill, having now completed its passage through both houses of Parliament and received royal assent, is expected to pass into UK law in early 2017. As well as making it easier for the authorities to track individual's internet and mobile phone usage, the new law confers sweeping new surveillance powers on numerous government departments, allowing agencies including police and security services, the tax office, health authorities, benefits agencies and many others, to use malware and other equipment interference techniques to covertly monitor private conversations and access stored data.

The new measures have been widely condemned as being overly intrusive. Speaking in a recent BBC interview, internet inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee labelled it "Undemocratic", adding that it "...undermines our fundamental rights online" and "risk(s) making the internet less safe for everyone."

Christopher Miller, head of development at VIPOLE, comments, "Freedom of speech and personal privacy is a fundamental cornerstone of democracy. Removing this safeguard for the vast majority of internet users in order to make it easier for the authorities to gather evidence on a very small minority of wrong-doers is, we believe, wholly disproportionate and sets a dangerous precedent."

Unease among internet users at the prospect of their private conversations being eavesdropped by such a wide range of government agencies is leading to the rapid growth of encrypted communications platforms such as VIPOLE. Its secure messaging and file sharing application employs end-to-end (e2e) encryption to ensure that chats, files, voice and video calls between users remain completely private and totally immune to interference. Miller comments, "We have seen a steady increase in personal downloads over the course of the summer as news of the new IP Bill's passage into UK law became more widely known. We anticipate a big surge in new users when the law comes into effect next year."

Unlike other e2e encrypted messaging applications which are supported by in-app marketing and user profiling, VIPOLE is purely subscription-based. Encryption applied by VIPOLE users is not reversible by any known technology and cannot be removed without knowing the user's private encryption keys. VIPOLE supports instant messaging including group chats, audio and video conferencing for up to 256 users, encrypted file storage and sharing. Other features include an encrypted password vault and remote device management, allowing users to remove their content from a device remotely if it's lost or stolen.

More information and a free download version of VIPOLE is available at www.vipole.com

Notes for editors

VIPole is an international company, with its headquarters in the UK, offering state-of-the-art, high-level encryption solutions for enterprises dealing with commercially or personally sensitive information, and individuals wishing to protect themselves from hackers, identity thieves and malware. A key feature of the system is the unique software design that ensures user data remains encrypted at every stage. Even if hackers or unauthorised personnel gain access to the device or server, user data is impossible to decrypt.

Launched in 2013, VIPole Secure Messenger now provides encrypted file storage, secure video and audio communications, group chats and collaboration tools to over 700,000 users worldwide, all of whom are protected by the highest level AES-256 and RSA-3072 encryption. VIPole offers a robust solution for financial institutions, medical practices, educational establishments and government offices handling sensitive personal data. VIPole is available as a cloud service, or an on-premise solution. VIPole also offers both free and paid versions of its products for personal use on PC, Mac OS X, Linux, Android and iOS. Full details are available at www.vipole.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Catherine Long
PR Manager
VIPole International LP

Tel:+44 (0) 1157 070057
Email: vipole@ei.do

Adrian Jones
Account Director
Eido PR

Tel:+44(0)207 788 7905
Email:vipole@ei.do