The makers of encrypted app Signal announced the formation of the Signal Foundation this week after it received $50 million from WhatsApp Co-founder Brian Acton. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit will "broaden Signal's mission of making private communication accessible and ubiquitous," Signal Founder Moxie Marlinspike explained in a blog post announcing the foundation. With the initial funding, "we can now increase the size of our team, our capacity, and our ambitions," he continued. Acton, who will join as the foundation's executive chairman, said, "Our plan is to pioneer a new model of technology nonprofit focused on privacy and data protection for everyone, everywhere." He said the best way to ensure universal, low-cost private communications is through the nonprofit structure so they can "act in the public interest and make a meaningful contribution to society by building sustainable technology that respects users and does not rely on the commoditization of personal data."
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