A group of security companies have teamed up to form the OpenPGP Alliance, a body that aims to ensure compatibility between secure email systems. OpenPGP is a widely used email encryption system based on an Internet Engineering Task Force . . .
A group of security companies have teamed up to form the OpenPGP Alliance, a body that aims to ensure compatibility between secure email systems. OpenPGP is a widely used email encryption system based on an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard, and any company can use it without paying licence fees. The OpenPGP Alliance, made up of 11 security companies including Biodata, Hush and Qualcomm, will oversee testing to ensure encryption systems are interoperable, and will work towards extending the OpenPGP standard to other non-email applications that could benefit from privacy protection.

Members said the alliance will benefit Internet users. Julian Dable, UK sales manager for encryption specialist Biodata, said the formation of the alliance will give users greater confidence in OpenPGP, as it will mean competing companies that develop encryption systems will conform to a set standard, authorised by the IETF, and will ensure implementations can exchange keys, messages and signatures.

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