Tech icon Jack Dorsey has committed $1 million per year to help fund encrypted messaging app Signal.
Signal is a popular encrypted messaging app that competes with WhatsApp, iMessage, and Telegram, although it is widely considered to be far more secure than any of them. The app is developed by the Signal Technology Foundation, a nonprofit charity.
Writing in a blog post, Dorsey announced his intentions:
To accelerate open internet and protocol work, I’m going to open a new category of #startsmall grants: “open internet development.” It will start with a focus of giving cash and equity grants to engineering teams working on social media and private communication protocols, bitcoin, and a web-only mobile OS. I’ll make some grants next week, starting with $1mm/yr to Signal. Please let me know other great candidates for this money.
Signal is used around the world by journalists, activists, politicians, military units, business leaders, and individuals. Donations and grants like Dorsey’s go a long way toward helping the foundation continue developing the app and maintaining the security so many rely on.