Wickr Me, an Amazon-owned encrypted chat platform. Has stopped accepting new users. Since Saturday and will shut down entirely on December 31 this year. The company announced.
The decision, first announced in November. Follows several controversies surrounding the ultra-secure chat app. Which allows users to sign up without a phone number or. Other identifying information. A favorite of hackers, drug dealers and other security-minded groups. becomes journalist
In June. An todaystrendnews investigation revealed. That Wickr Me has become a go-to product for many people to trade child sexual abuse content. The investigation identified 72 court cases over. The past five years in which defendants allegedly used. Wickr (as it is commonly known) to trade child sexual abuse content. Law enforcement officials and a representative of . The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children told. At the time that Wicker was not doing enough to identify or report the trade in such content on its platform.
In a statement to todaystrendnews in June. An Amazon Web Services spokesperson said: “Amazon is committed to preventing. Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in every part of our business, including Wickor. which maintains strict terms of use that expressly prohibit illegal activities. Activity We act quickly on reports of illegal behavior. Respond promptly to requests from law enforcement agencies and take appropriate action. Anyone found violating our terms is subject to account termination.”
“Wicker responds appropriately and cooperates with law. Enforcement in this complex matter,” the spokesperson said.
In its statement in November. The company explained. That it was shutting down. Wickr Me to devote more resources and focus on its business-to-business products. AWS Wickr and Wickr Enterprise. The post did not mention business with government agencies. Including the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security
When todaystrendnews tried to create a new test account on the app on Sunday. It displayed a pop-up saying: “Wickr Me will not support new users starting 31-Dec-2022. Wickr Me 31-Dec-2023 will be unavailable later.”
By 2015, the company had raised $39 million in funding. That same year, many outlets reported that the Islamic State terrorist. Organization was using the app to recruit new members. In 2016. One of the first successful cases against child pornography. Trading on apps was reported by. The Deseret Morning News.
In June 2021, Wickr was acquired by Amazon Web Services. Since the acquisition. The company has faced questions about its government contracts with agencies such. As Customs and Border Protection and attracted. Attention for its role in a records-related scandal in .
