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TechCrunch
30-07-2025
- TechCrunch
Germ brings end-to-end encrypted messages to Bluesky
A new startup called Germ is bringing end-to-end encrypted messaging to the Bluesky social network, allowing its users to have a more secure option for chats than Bluesky's existing DMs. After over two years of development, the service is launching its encrypted DMs for Bluesky into beta this week, with plans to gradually onboard new testers ahead of a public launch. In time, the technology that Germ is building, much of which is open sourced, could allow Bluesky itself to introduce encrypted messaging into its own app. Germ was designed to offer an alternative to existing end-to-end encrypted platforms that dominate globally, like iMessage, Signal, and WhatsApp. Germ takes advantage of newer technologies, like Messaging Layer Security (MLS), a new standard approved by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), and the AT Protocol (or AT Proto), which powers Bluesky. Image Credits:Germ Image Credits:Germ However, instead of requiring a user's phone number as some messaging apps do, Germ integrates with AT Proto. This allows Germ users to securely chat with friends from Bluesky and the wider open social web, including apps like Flashes and Skylight, but with added controls over the user experience. For instance, you can choose to accept DMs from people you follow on Bluesky, or you could configure it so that only you can initiate chats with other people. Plus, when you block a user in Germ, you can choose whether you want to only block them in Germ or if you want to block them across Bluesky and other AT Proto-powered apps as well. The concept for Germ comes from co-founders Tessa Brown (CEO), a communications scholar who previously taught at Stanford, and Mark Xue, who worked as a privacy engineer at Apple on technologies like FaceTime and iMessage. Brown's studies led her to realize that access to private communications was fundamental to the health of social networks. Image Credits:Germ 'We know that, psychologically, you can't build a good relationship with people if you feel like you're being stared at and manipulated all the time. And that's really what social media is today,' Brown tells TechCrunch. 'So I came out of that work with a really strong conviction around end-to-end encrypted messaging as kind of the centerpiece of what I thought was the future of social media and the future of communication,' she adds. Xue, meanwhile, came out of Apple believing that the use of phone numbers and telephony is a dated technology to serve as the basis for secure communications, and wanted to build something new. Today, Germ's service works by way of a 'magic link,' which is generated for you and pasted into your Bluesky bio. When another Bluesky user on iOS clicks this link, they can immediately chat with you without downloading a new app from the App Store. To make this possible, Germ takes advantage of underutilized Apple technology called App Clips, which allow users to run a portion of an app's code on their device without installing the full app. Today, app clips are used for miscellaneous one-off type transactions, like paying for parking via a QR code. But in Germ's case, they allow for quick chats. While the user experience is simple enough, the technology behind it is not. The link itself is actually a cryptographic key that authenticates the user's AT Proto identity to confirm that the user is the person associated with that Bluesky handle. From the Germ app clip, you can choose to install the Germ iOS app, which offers more controls, access to your friends list, and now, Bluesky pairing. The pairing feature was somewhat finicky in our tests, but we are running the iOS 26 developer beta, which may be causing complications. (To work around the issue, we started the chat from the app clip first, before trying to authenticate from the installed app.) Tessa Brown, Germ Network CEO Image Credits:Germ Network Instagram (opens in a new window) Brown tells TechCrunch that she's excited about building within the Bluesky community, given the app's growing cultural impact, which has attracted big names in U.S. politics, like Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and other representatives, senators, and governors, to join. Given that Germ is ahead of the Bluesky team itself in building encrypted messaging technology, Brown is hopeful that Germ's protocol could be more broadly adopted by Bluesky and others in the future. While currently free to use, the Germ app may later introduce a premium subscription upgrade that offers more advanced services, including private AI services, personalization tools, and more. The four-person startup has raised pre-seed funding from angel investors, including a co-author of MLS and other trust and safety experts. Institutional investors include K5 Global and Mozilla Ventures. The company hopes to raise additional funds for an Android version in the future.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Frontline Group Launches vCON Pilot
Transforming 211 Calls into Actionable, Lifesaving Intelligence SEATTLE, June 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Frontline Group, the agile leader in AI-enhanced, human-first CX, has announced the national pilot launch of its groundbreaking vCON (Virtualized Conversation) Program, which will bring next-generation contact center intelligence to 211 operators across the country. Every 211 call represents a person in crisis seeking food, shelter, safety, or a sense of direction. With vCONs, these calls become structured, secure, and searchable assets—ready to drive deeper impact, faster response, and smarter support across America's most critical care networks. "A call to 211 is more than a question. It's often a lifeline," said Jill Blankenship, CEO of Frontline Group. "With vCONs, we're turning fleeting moments into enduring records of need and compassion. Every call becomes a thread in the safety net, and in turn, a step toward lasting resolution." More than just call recording, vCONs are living data. Each interaction is wrapped in metadata—time, tone, participants, sentiment, and cryptographically sealed for integrity and compliance. It's a leap forward in care coordination, enabling case continuity, secure data-sharing, and pattern recognition to uncover unmet needs and operational blind spots. For the specialists on the call, it's freedom from frantic note-taking. For 211 providers, it's a new lens on impact. For at-risk individuals, it's a promise: you won't have to repeat your story again. The vCON pilot will begin in diverse regions spanning metro centers and rural communities. Participating organizations will use vCON to revisit prior interactions, improve follow-up accuracy, and highlight systemic gaps. The tech also aligns with emerging IETF and SCITT (Supply Chain Integrity, Transparency, and Trust) standards, ensuring full auditability and future-proofed compliance. "vCONs are not just conversations. They're commitments made visible," said Thomas McCarthy-Howe, creator of the vCON IETF pending standard. "This is what happens when empathy meets infrastructure, when we build systems that remember." This launch underscores Frontline Group's mission to humanize service while scaling intelligence. "Our hybrid architecture with AI, when it helps, positively benefits people when it matters. This is especially true in public sector partnerships," added Blankenship. "With vCONs, that trust now extends to crisis response. It's care, redefined, and ready when and where it's needed most." About Frontline Group Frontline Group is transforming customer care by pioneering an AI-enhanced, human-first approach to contact center and BPO services. With a full-circle suite that includes CX platform integration, support optimization, mobile agent enablement, and AI consulting, Frontline helps businesses of all sizes deliver faster, friendlier, and smarter service — without the bloat of legacy providers. Rooted in transparency, speed, and empathy, Frontline empowers organizations to scale with integrity, putting people at the center of every interaction. Backed by a sustainable, founder-led model and strategic partnerships with innovators like Microsoft, Frontline is redefining the future of service, where intelligence meets humanity. Media ContactAndy AbramsonFrontline Group396097@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Frontline Group Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cumbria firm awarded £4.5 million grant from government
A CUMBRIAN manufacturing company has been awarded a government grant of almost £4.5million to try and convert waste gas at the plant into energy. Futamura Chemical UK, based in Wigton, a leading global manufacturer of sustainable cellulose films and materials that employs 270 people in the town, has been awarded a grant of £4,486,851. The money is part of a £14million project that will see the Station Road plant convert waste gas to energy. The grant will help the company to reduce carbon emissions, improve efficiency and cut energy costs, support jobs in Cumbria and 'promote growth as part of the Government's wider economic plan'. Futamura, based in Wigton for over 90 years, manufactures flexible packaging films that are derived from wood-pulp, with the firm said to be 'excited' following the announcement of the grant. The company's managing director Adrian Cave said: "I don't think in my career, there has been a project that I have been more excited about. "At Futamura we are passionate about our NatureFlex and Cellophane products, and that includes ensuring we continually evolve and utilise greener manufacturing processes, to further reduce our environmental footprint. "Transformational projects such as this WSA installation invariably are expensive and have a medium to long term payback. "Companies like ours do require support financially and this IETF energy efficiency grant has resulted in this project coming to fruition. We are very grateful for this support." The cash is part of the government's Plan for Change to support low carbon projects in energy intensive industries through the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF). Markus Campbell-Savours, Member of Parliament for Penrith & Solway, welcomed the news. He said: 'I congratulate Futamura on securing this investment, one of the largest grants to be issued in this round of IETF funding. "This government is committed to helping industry reduce its energy consumption and this project will enhance the sustainability and future of this 90-year-old business. "This is a huge boost to Wigton and the hundreds of workers employed at the site."
Associated Press
05-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Global Industry Partners Jointly Release Net5.5G Best Practices & Deployment Guide Whitepaper
BARCELONA, Spain, March 5, 2025 /CNW/ -- At MWC Barcelona 2025, the Broadband Development Congress (BDC), hosted by the WBBA, was a resounding success. Themed 'Smarter Broadband: Investment. Innovation. Intelligence,' the congress attracted over 200 industry leaders worldwide. Attendees exchanged views on key issues, including the Net5.5G evolution path, network technology innovation, and commercial practices. In his keynote speech at the congress, Ryan Qiu, Vice President of Huawei's Data Communication Product Line, noted that the integration of AI into carriers' strategies is gaining momentum, with Net5.5G serving as a catalyst for the in-depth convergence of networks and AI. To address this trend, Huawei has introduced AI WAN, a cutting-edge solution that comprehensively empowers IP networks in the Net5.5G era using AI. This solution enables carriers to unlock new network value across diverse scenarios, including individual, home, and enterprise settings. At the congress, global industry leaders from organizations such as the WBBA, IPv6 Forum, ITU, and IETF reached a consensus during the 'Fireside Chat: Forward-Looking Dialogue on the Evolution of Next-Gen Networks.' Net5.5G has now become an industry-wide consensus, making significant strides in areas including industry development, policy formulation, and commercial practices. The leaders called for enhanced industry collaboration and continued joint efforts to drive the commercial success of Net5.5G, thereby guiding the sustainable development of the Internet industry. The WBBA, IPv6 Forum, ITU, IETF, and NIDA have collaborated to establish a next-generation network cooperation mechanism. While the WBBA and IPv6 Forum drive industry consensus, the ITU-T explores future network needs, the IETF spearheads the formulation of network technology standards, and the NIDA defines network construction standards and facilitates technology adoption. The Global Net5.5G Pioneer Program has made steady progress. At the congress, industry leaders jointly released the latest progress of the program. To date, a number of outstanding Net5.5G pioneers have emerged globally, including 18 visionary pioneers, 2 region pioneers, and 18 business pioneers. Multiple carriers shared their experience and achievements in Net5.5G commercial deployment. As an integrated operator in Spain, MasOrange builds an efficient capacity growth, ultimate experience and intent-based automation Net5.5G converged IP network. 400GE/800GE, SRv6 + slicing meet traffic surging and automatic network scheduling requirements, and support new services such as edge computing in the future. Based on Network Digital Map, through AI empowerment, MasOrange will stride to AN L4, a new phase of intelligent evolution. In addition, the WBBA has released the Net5.5G Best Practices & Deployment Guide Whitepaper, showcasing global Net5.5G best practices and providing valuable insights and inspiration for the industry. As Net5.5G continues to evolve, the WBBA urges global industry organizations to strengthen industry cooperation and jointly drive industry innovation in technical standards, policies, and commercial practices to foster a thriving data communications ecosystem.
