Lead developer from secure messaging app Signal joins Apple

Apple is getting serious about security, with reports that it will make newer iPhone more encrypted

Apple is taking its current fight with the FBI to the next level: it is actually going to up security on the newest iPhones, making it even harder for the government to break into them.

To do so, it has hired someone with a good amount of experience in this area: Frederic Jacobs, the lead developer for iOS on secure messaging app Signal, who will be joining the CoreOS security team. He announced his hiring on Twitter on Thursday.

I'm delighted to announce that I accepted an offer to be working with the CoreOS security team at Apple this summer.

— Frederic Jacobs (@FredericJacobs) February 25, 2016

At Signal he "worked on end-to-end encryption for both private messages and phone calls," according to his LinkedIn profile. "My engineering position lead me to practice a wide range of skills, from cryptographic implementations to usability, I worked all across the stack."

In addition to working at Signal, Jacobs also does security engineering for Bitly, doing part-time contract working on safer and more privacy-preserving KYC solutions on the Swiss Bitcoin Exchange trading platform.

Signal was developed by Open Whisper Systems, an open-source platform focused on advancing state-of-the-art for secure communication. Signal offers free, worldwide, encrypted voice calls. It uses a person's existing number, doesn’t require a password, and leverages privacy-preserving contact discovery to immediately display which of your contacts are reachable with Signal.

It's so secure that it was what Edward Snowden used when he needed to communicate while he was in full whistleblower mode. 

This news comes a day after reports came out that Apple is working to make upcoming versions of the iPhone more secure, first by getting rid of firmware that can be modified without requiring a user password.

While obviously it's not entirely clear what Jacobs will be doing, the timing of his hiring cannot be a coincidence. Apple, and Tim Cook specifically, are taking a stand on privacy, and protecting their users. A hire like this is a signal that it will continue to be a priority going forward.

Apple vs the FBI

Apple has taken a stand, and is refusing to comply with a court order that would allow the government to be able to access the iPhone of one of the killers in the San Bernardino terrorist attack last year.

Republican candidates are strongly against Apple, while Silicon Valley is with very strongly Apple. The Democratic candidates, meanwhile, aren't picking sides, and are encouraging Apple and the government to work together.

Perhaps most importantly, the people are taking sides against Apple. 51 percent of people surveryed said Apple should let the government have access, while only 35 percent said that Apple shouldn't unlock the phone, and another 11 percent said they didn't know.

In an FAQ posted on Monday, Tim Cook said doing what the government wants is "too dangerous to do," and wrote an internal memo to his staff, in which he thanked them for their support.

"This case is about much more than a single phone or a single investigation, so when we received the government’s order we knew we had to speak out. At stake is the data security of hundreds of millions of law-abiding people, and setting a dangerous precedent that threatens everyone’s civil liberties," he said. 

This hire was spotted by TechCrunch. 

(Image source: linkedin.com)