The Knight News Challenge is asking “How can we strengthen the internet for free expression and innovation?” They’re offering funding to help people develop solutions.
Screenshots above are from Briar, an app for “secure messaging, anywhere.”
We’re building a messaging app that’s as simple to use as WhatsApp, as secure as PGP, and that keeps working if somebody breaks the Internet.
Briar is a messaging app designed for activists, journalists, and anyone else who needs a safe, easy and robust way to communicate.
Unlike traditional messaging tools such as email, Twitter or Telegram, Briar doesn’t rely on a central server - messages are synchronized directly between the users’ devices. If the Internet’s down, Briar can sync via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, keeping the information flowing in a crisis. If the Internet’s up, Briar can sync via the Tor network, protecting users and their relationships from surveillance.
Go vote it up on the Knight Challenge to help them win funding and move into full public beta.
Disclosure: friends of mine. But also interesting in a lot of ways about building a proper decentralised internet - consider it #stactivism in action?