What is ?

changes the default for written digital messages from unencrypted and unprotected to anonymized and encrypted.

is open source and available as free software.

provides end-to-end encryption, peer-to-peer without central infrastructure. Our objective is to revolutionize the security industry by making privacy and security available to everyone. And that with no hassle!

is zero-touch, secure and private communication on your own servers and on any hosted communication platform, like Microsoft Office365, Gmail, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Twitter Private Messages, SMS, ….

makes privacy the default.

What are  ’s features?

p≡p is peer-to-peer communication with end-to-end encryption and an unmatched meta-data level of privacy.

p≡p will synchronize keys and contacts between all devices and hence provides a back-up of your key chain and contacts.

p≡p means converging all Mail and Messaging services into one single mobile App.

p≡p removes the complicated user driven key management through a zero-touch user experience.

p≡p works on any communication channel like E-Mail, Jabber, WhatsApp, Twitter,… and can integrate with any E-mail platform providing an API (Kolab, Gmail, ….)

p≡p is an automated key management solution for various key systems combined. It implements OpenPGP, S/MIME, CMS among others.

p≡p avoids all central infrastructure - like servers, portals, directories - and the vulnerabilities related to such centralized setups.

p≡p eliminates the man-in-the-middle with a simple 'handshake' based on safe words in your own language.

p≡p encrypts even without the same client on both sides.

p≡p does not slow down your computer.

In summary: No Hassle Privacy

What is our Goal?

Our goal is to set the new Internet standard for digital written communication from unencrypted and unprotected to anonymized and encrypted.

p≡p solutions are needed today to reclaim our privacy, not in two or three years. Please support us to make these solutions available now.

p≡p is the only solution that allows you work with existing communication tools to provide full Internet privacy to private and corporate users. The solution can be implemented in an invisible layer to accommodate users’ existing ways of communicating. There is no learning curve! No changes! No pressures!

pEp-project.org is the open source project that is set to finally deliver free software for what the cypher-punk movement has been striving for since the late 1980: Easy Encryption for Everyone.

impressions

Let’s see below two example of p≡p:

In Microsoft Windows/Outlook/Office365:

You double-click on the p≡p Outlook install file, then ‘Install’ and then ‘Finish’.
Et voilà - you are up and running. No other action needed.

When you e-mail a new friend, the first message will be unencrypted at trust level ‘Gray’, meaning it is as secure as any normal internet communication.

If your friend can encrypt already, p≡p will automatically encrypt with him in his standard (PGP, S/MIME, CMS,…) at trust level 'Yellow', meaning the encryption is technically safe. Only the risk of a man-in-the-middle attack remains.

You eliminate that risk with a simple phonecall (the Handshake) to exchange ‘Safe Words’ in your own language. p≡p issues these safe words once to you upon installation.

Now you have reached trust level green: you are fully protected from any known attack.

On the iPhone:

How will the funds be used?

We will use the funds to create a foundation and to ramp up the delivery of more solutions based on the p≡p engine. We will also expedite the penetration of p≡p solutions in the community.

The commercialization of the corporate solution will happen through p≡p Security SA and provide a sustainable long-term funding for support and innovation.

As our goal is to provide everything as open-source software, your contributions will offer the financial means to create this software faster. This is where your contributions make a difference.

The indicated US$ amounts below are cumulative, in other words for $300k we develop both an Android and iOS App.

If we do not reach a level, we will nevertheless produce the solutions. If we receive only $200k for the iOS App (shortfall of $50k), we will nevertheless produce it. Only the timing and sequencing might change.

Your contributions will be utilized to speed up the development of the following products and features:

$50,000

Android mobile App for p≡p

$300,000

iOS mobile App for p≡p

$500,000

p≡p for Thunderbird

in the Press

Meet the Team

Leon V. Schumacher (Mr. Corporate) is the former Group CIO of 2 leading companies in the world - Mittal Steel and Novartis. He ran organizations of 2,500 people and budgets of $2 billion and he has intimate knowledge of the needs and functioning of Fortune 500 companies. He is part of the CIO community leaders in US and Europe. Leon comes from Luxembourg.

Volker Birk (Mr. Technology) is the Technical Wizard, Software Architect and Security Specialist. He already created free Security Software with a million users, without marketing. He has been a Researcher and Lecturer in IT and Engineering for 11 years. He has been involved in many start-ups in Technology. Volker comes from Germany and has been a long term member of the largest Hacker Club in Germany.

Sandro Koechli (Mr. Linux Switzerland) is the link between the technical and the business brains of the p≡p team. He has been active in the Open Source business as an entrepreneur for more than a decade and he is widely known in the industry. Sandro focuses on technical services and comes from Switzerland.

Edouard Tisserant (Mr. Engineer) is our second programming Wizard and Software Architect on the project. He is a Free Software author and the lead developer of Beremiz and other Free Software for Automation projects. In addition to writing code, Edouard builds real things. Edouard comes from France and is an amazing engineer and innovator.

We miss Robert in this team picture. He had to represent p≡p in Brazil and could not be present on picture day.

We base our operations in Switzerland and Luxembourg, where user data is protected by strict data privacy laws and by a national desire to provide a safe place on the Net.

Endorsements

Lars Rabbe (former CIO of Yahoo & Skype):

"p≡p has enormous potential as it fills a need and it does for encryption the same thing that Skype did for VoIP: It takes an existing hard-to-use technology and makes it simple and easy for everyone to enjoy the benefits."

Prof. Dr. Frank Kargl (University of Ulm, Germany):

"p≡p has the potential to solve some of the largest obstacles to ubiquitous secure and private communication. It establishes a unified trust management that seamlessly integrates into all forms of digital communication and provides an easy-to-use and easy-to-understand interface to the user for managing his trust relationships. After a two decades struggle to teach users to manage certificates and install complex crypto plugins, this may be the right approach that is simple and yet powerful enough to enable secure communication for ordinary private and business users."

Prof. Dr. Elgar Fleisch (ETH Zurich / Hochschule St.Gallen, Switzerland):

"Communicating via email today is like sending trade secrets on post cards. p≡p addresses this major threat all business partners face – from SMEs to large corporates. It delivers a security solution that bases on an open and completely transparent technology stack, and that is so stunningly simple and non-interruptive to use, that it has all the ingredients to turn into a new standard.
p≡p might as well help to solve emerging security issues in an Internet of Things, when smart objects communicate with humans."

Prof. Dr. Peter Ryan (Security & Trust, University of Luxembourg):

"Now, more than ever, we need the means to interact and communicate while enjoying the security and privacy of our personal data. Up to now however, products and technologies to provide such security in a user friendly fashion have been scarce. The product suite being developed by p≡p shows promise of redressing this situation and helping to usher in an era in which Johnny can encrypt."

Georg Greve (Founding President of FSFE and CEO of Kolab Systems):

"Making cryptography effortless to use has been one of the toughest nuts to crack. Proposed solutions either reduced security for professional users, or were largely false promises, and sometimes dangerous. p≡p is different. It makes strong cryptography secure, effortless and elegant for everyone. Strong setups stay strong. Everyone else's security gets lifted by orders of magnitude. No project of the past two years will do more to increase security and privacy on a global scale. Kolab* has been the leading open security-centric collaboration solution for over ten years. Together with p≡p we'll dramatically increase the level of usability for all our current and future users."
(* Kolab was initially developed to the requirements of the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and is still used there)

Meinhard Starostik (Solicitor and Judge at the Constitutional Court, Berlin):

"We have been deprived of our privacy by government agencies. It seems there is no one to help this but ourselves. p≡p is a wonderful device to do so. Let's get started, let's fund p≡p."

padeluun (Artist and Honorary Member of Chaos Computer Club, Germany):

"What we urgently need is encryption and anonymization for everyone. p≡p is a project which offers exactly that. I'm supporting p≡p – please do so, too!"

Timeline

Why do we need your help?

Several initiatives were launched since the ‘Snowden Revelations’, and we support all of them. Nevertheless none of them has enabled the Internet users to easily protect their privacy and led to mass adoption yet.

We designed p≡p with the user in mind, as the solution that seamlessly integrates with the habits of the user, avoids central infrastructure and is available for many platforms, mail clients, and communication channels. And we need that solution – p≡p – now for all environments!

Help us promote the spread of p≡p solutions by multiplying our development team and regain your privacy now. Your donations will ensure that we can continue to provide you further free, open source versions of the p≡p software to protect your digital privacy.

Make a difference now! Contribute here please!

FAQ

1. Why do we still need p≡p?
2. In what ways is p≡p different from other encryption solutions?
3. Am I supporting terrorism while using p≡p?
4. Can I still send encrypted messages if my friends don`t have p≡p?
5. Does it work with all mail providers?
6. How long does it take to set up p≡p?
7. How can I send an encrypted mail to a new contact?
8. Is the subject and metadata of my email encrypted as well?
9. What happens if I already have PGP installed on my computer?
10. Will p≡p indicate how good my privacy is?
11. Can I use webmail in the browser with p≡p?
12. What do you mean by zero touch?
13. Do you store my data?
14. Are e-mails and instant messages stored encrypted on my iPhone or Android phone?
15. Can I use p≡p with WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger?
16. Which versions of Outlook are supported?
17. I use different e-mail accounts. Can p≡p work with all of them when I install it on my computer?
18. I want to reinstall my computer, do I have to backup p≡p or can I just re-install it and will p≡p function immediately?
19. What type of contribution do you prefer?

1. Why do we still need p≡p?
   p≡p is needed because as of today no solution has been brought to market that is transparent to the user and that requires no interaction on the user’s part. We are still without a simple, open and common system to protect our privacy, which is appreciated by all user groups – corporate, consumer & community.

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2. In what ways is p≡p different from other encryption solutions?
   Most solutions are too difficult to use, others have introduced central elements (and hence unnecessary risk) to simplify key management.
   p≡p eliminates the complicated key management with a zero-touch approach for the users as well as the administrators.
   p≡p is the only solution that allows you work with existing communication tools to provide full Internet privacy to private and corporate users. The solution can be implemented in an invisible layer to accommodate users’ existing ways of communicating. It will protect you automagically on all channels (e-mail, messaging, SMS, …). It also supports multiple encryption standards automatically and you do not need p≡p client on both sides to encrypt successfully. However, if you have p≡p on both sides, you will get meta-data anonymization in addition to encryption.

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3. Am I supporting terrorism while using p≡p?
   No, absolutely not. Cryptography solutions have existed for a long time. Sophisticated and motivated users have mastered these tools since the late ‘90s.
   p≡p does not create anything new, only integrates these existing tools and makes them available to less sophisticated users. p≡p does not protect any suspect(s) against a targeted surveillance by our law enforcement services. p≡p only protects your constitutional rights to privacy.
   
   Please find here two pertinent quotes from the White House NSA Review Panel
   a) “[…] there has been no instance in which NSA could say with confidence that the outcome [of a terror investigation] would have been any different” [without the metadata]
   b) Communication metadata adds “only a modest contribution to the nation security”

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4. Can I still send encrypted messages if my friends don`t have p≡p?
   If your friends cannot encrypt, we offer 2 possibilities:
   1) You can send an encrypted message to your friend with a link that allows them to download a free p≡p reader.
   2) You can send them an unencrypted message inviting them to install p≡p or another encryption tool like OpenPGP, and your first reply after this installation will be encrypted completely automatically.

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5. Does it work with all mail providers?
   Yes, if you use p≡p in your mail client, such as Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail...
   If you only use webmail through a browser, then we will support all those webmail providers that provide an API for our browser plug-ins. This will be the case with providers like Kolab, Gmail, …

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6. How long does it take to set up p≡p?
   On your computer, the automated set-up takes about 30 seconds and does not ask any questions. The installer does it all for you in the background.

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7. How can I send an encrypted mail to a new contact?
   Simply by installing p≡p or sending a message if you already have p≡p installed. If your friend has p≡p already installed then your communication is encrypted, if your friend uses another technology like S/MIME or PGP, it will work seamlessly as well.

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8. Is the subject and metadata of my email encrypted as well?
   If both parties use p≡p, then the subject and metadata are encrypted as well.

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9. What happens if I already have PGP installed on my computer?
   p≡p will recognize this automatically upon installation and will use the installed keys for encryption.

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10. Will p≡p indicate how good my privacy is?
    p≡p shows the level of trust you have with your contacts. If the trust level is grey, there is not enough information to indicate any trust. If the trust level is yellow, your encryption is technically perfect, but you are still vulnerable to a man-in-the middle attack. After the handshake with safewords, you have the highest trust level (green) where you are protected against any known attack and you can securely communicate with that contact on all your p≡p devices.

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11. Can I use webmail in the browser with p≡p?
    Yes, we will provide free browser plugins for all major browsers that allow you to use p≡p with webmail in the browser.

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12. What do you mean by zero touch?
    Zero-touch means that the user does not need to do anything to create and manage keys nor to communicate at the highest level of privacy available with his/her counterpart (other than the handshake).

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13. Do you store my data?
    No, p≡p is completely peer-to-peer with end-to-end encryption. Hence we are not storing any data of any kind. We just provide you with the p≡p software or app.

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14. Are e-mails and instant messages stored encrypted on my iPhone or Android phone?
    No, they will be stored unencrypted but you have the option to store them encrypted.

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15. Can I use p≡p with WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger?
    p≡p mobile app will encrypt communication with WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger contacts if both parties use p≡p.

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16. Which versions of Outlook are supported?
    From Outlook 2010 & up. And Office365 is secured of course.

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17. I use different e-mail accounts. Can p≡p work with all of them when I install it on my computer?
    Yes, p≡p works with all accounts and will add those addresses to your key if needed.

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18. I want to reinstall my computer, do I have to backup p≡p or can I just re-install it and will p≡p function immediately?
    If you have p≡p on a single device, you will need to back-up. If you have p≡p on another device it is possible to receive the key pair without backing up from that device using the new key from your newly installed system - as p≡p synchronizes all your devices securely peer-to-peer.
19. What type of contribution do you prefer?
    We prefer and recommend that you contribute directly by credit card, not via Paypal.
    Paypal’s support for privacy initiatives is at least questionable, as the disaster it caused for the crowdfunding campaign of our same minded friends from Protonmail shows.
    
    As in the support of all communication tools, we decided not to limit the options of our contributors and impose channels. Hence we keep Paypal switched on for those that prefer this option.

Thank you!

We would like to thank every backer for any contribution and any assistance in the realization of our project.
We also would like to extend special thanks to Emmet Keeffe and iRise for providing us with a simulation and visualization of our idea from the inception.
Please share our project through Twitter(#pEp4Privacy), Facebook and other social media platforms. We appreciate your support.

If you have any questions, please contact us at pep@pep-project.org

For Press Inquiries, please contact us at press@pep-project.org