Vodafone’s new smartphone app Secure Call could have protected Angela Merkel from the NSA.
The telecoms firm said its app can encrypt mobile phone calls and secure communications, and was developed in collaboration with Secusmart, the company that manages the security of the new ‘Merkel phone’, the bespoke BlackBerry used by the German chancellor since her phone was tapped by the US government.
According to Vodafone, the new app would offer similar levels of communication encryption to companies, but on a platform-independent basis.
It will initially be launched on Android at the end of the year, followed by iOS and Windows Phone for German users, and would be offered at a cost of €10 per month.
In addition, Vodafone rolled out Secure SIM Data, which is developed in collaboration with Giesecke & Devrient, which allows enterprises and officials to sign and encrypt emails, documents and VPN connections.
The expanded version of its Secure SIM service also encrypts storage devices including USBs and external hard disks, claimed Vodagone, adding that it can also be used on Windows 8-powered Lenovo ThinkPad notebooks and tablets.
The latest apps are being developed in wake of NSA’s alleged monitoring of phones and emails in Europe, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile device.
