Bitphone, The World’s First Encrypted Skype Competitor, Closes Down
Late on Tuesday, I received a very sad email from Gavin Stevens, founder of Solid Cloud, and creator of Bitphone, the first-ever encrypted, Bitcoin-accepting online video calling service. The contents were sad, but the tone was not of remorse, but of anger and frustration. They had contacted me, as a Bitphone user on their list, to alert me that they were shutting their digital doors for good due to “regulatory requirements.” Broke Bitphone’s Launch 18 Months Ago. Having gotten to know Stevens since the launch, interviewing him, and connecting with him on LinkedIn, this is a very sad event....
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Freedom of association. Privacy. Free speech. Basic rights that many of us take for granted are under increased governmental scrutiny in today’s digital age. Private emails, phone calls and now web-based video calls are all routinely inspected in the name of national security, at least in Western cultures like the U.S. and Great Britain. The Guardian reports that Skype has provided “backdoors” to state-run surveillance programs like PRISM for years. In light of these disclosures, the tech and cryptography communities have stepped in to develop encrypted alternatives designed to preserve....
Bitphone recently announced to its users via email that service was being closed down, and Bitcoinist caught up with Gavin about the circumstances surrounding the startup’s untimely demise. Interview with Bitphone Founder, Gavin Stevens. Starting a new business is very difficult, and starting one inside of a new technological niche market is even more daunting. Gavin Stevens, the founder of Solid Cloud, created a new concept known as Bitphone in the spring of 2015 that created a new way for Bitcoin users to communicate online, creating an encrypted version of Skype, in effect. You could do....
BitPhone, cryptocurrency based voice and video calling platform has shut down due to increasing regulatory pressure. Poorly drafted regulations have again started to haunt Bitcoin businesses. Many cryptocurrency platforms have fallen victims to the fiasco, choosing to either move away from a particular market/location or shut their shops entirely. BitPhone is the latest company to succumb to the injuries inflicted by regulations. The cryptocurrency-based encrypted voice and video calling platform has announced the end of its brief 1.5-year stint. According to BitPhone’s announcement, the....
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