Technologies

Verum, Wickr and Threema: next generation secured messengers

Still using WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger? Think Telegram is completely reliable? Or maybe you still can’t give up trying to talk normally in Viber? Then we have a serious conversation with you.

The 21st century has given us access to communication, instant communication with each other, no matter where we are in the world. But at the same time, we all became vulnerable – personal information was in plain sight, it was easy for us, we were simply controlled. Conversations are no longer private. “You have to pay for everything. This is the price of an affordable connection”, someone might say. No, we disagree with this statement. Everyone has the right to the confidentiality and secrecy of their data. We present you the top 5 most secure messengers of the new generation.

Verum

https://apps.apple.com/app/verum-messenger-chat-calls/id1550499454

You don’t even need a SIM card to use Verum messenger. No phone tethering. The app has built-in VPN and end-to-end encryption. When you first get to know the application, you will create an individual key pair and you will have a unique identifier. And the Verum developers have solved our eternal problem – if someone takes a screenshot in the chat, you will immediately find out about it. Checkmate! No more leaked correspondence. You can add up to 10,000 people to a group chat, and the app is translated into 15 languages. No one, except the recipient, can view your correspondence, no matter what it contains – photo, video, audio. And even if you suddenly lose your phone, no one but you will be able to enter the application. To do this, you can set a password for the entrance or require it to be entered after a certain time. And so that you are completely calm about the confidentiality of communication, the Verum developers have provided the ability to automatically delete all correspondence after the time you set. The interface is minimalistic and stylish. Verum is currently only available for download on IOS. It can be purchased from the App Store for $12,99. Yes, it is paid, like some of the ones below, as these are the best messengers in terms of security. But, believe me, those “free” applications that are on your phone also have a price – you pay for them with your personal data.

Wickr

Time-tested anonymous messenger. Even if you have never come across it face to face, you are sure that you have heard this name for sure. As with Verum, you do not need to have a SIM card in order to attach the app. When registering, you create an ID and password. Transferring files to third parties is impossible, as well as a screenshot of the correspondence. If you decide to erase the entire communication history, there is no way to restore it. The developers have equipped the Wickr feature with a temporary image and text that will automatically disappear after the recipient has viewed them. It is very convenient that the messenger can be installed on a PC, as well as by the standard – available for IOS and Android. Wickr is available in a free version (Wickr me) and also in a paid version (Wickr pro / Wickr ent) for corporate communication. Due to this interface, the application is a little more complicated than that of other messengers.

Threema

Application servers are located in Switzerland, which in itself, you must agree, is already a guarantee of quality. Just like the previous applications – Verum and Wickr – Threema does not require you to bind to a phone number. And we like this trend, as it has long since lost its relevance. Something like a place of registration, isn’t it? Instead of a number, you will be given keys – private and public, according to the scheme you are already familiar with. It is also possible to password-protect individual chats. The information is not saved in the application, but on your phone. Messages are deleted immediately after you or your interlocutor read them. Everyone began to discuss Threema after the messenger refused to give out encryption keys to Roskomnadzor. After this incident, the number of users of the application increased significantly. Threema can be downloaded on IOS and Android for about 3$.

Confide

A very interesting, in our opinion, application for safe communication. The peculiarity of this messenger is that messages are displayed closed, in the form of rectangular shapes. In order to read the text, you will need to slide your finger over it. This feature protects you from annoying peeping at the phone screen. Until you make sure that no one is standing behind you, the message will be impossible to read. True, Confide requires binding to your mail. Here, too, it will not be possible to take a screenshot, since you simply cannot then open it or send it to someone. The app is free, but there are paid features.

Signal

To install this application, you will already need your phone number and contact list. Despite this breach of anonymity, the messenger is still pretty safe. Developers used open source encryption, making it available to their own research of various problems that may arise when working on different operating systems. Unlike WhatsApp, Signal will not collect data about your preferences, after which you are usually offered an advertisement for the product you just hinted at in a conversation. Before starting a conversation, you can double-check the security of your conversation thanks to the additional two-way session verification. The developers have also not forgotten about the function of disappearing messages. You can set a password to sign in to Signal, or you can use the face and fingerprint recognition system. The application is free and available for all operating systems.

Technologies

OpenAI says firing of safety researchers was due to trust breach, not safety concerns

OpenAI defended firing three safety researchers, claiming it was a breach of trust rather than retaliation for raising safety concerns, amid growing AI safety debates and cyber incidents.

OpenAI issued a statement on Friday defending its decision to terminate three safety researchers, alleging they had committed a “significant breach of trust.”

The artificial intelligence laboratory stated in a post on X that its decision to separate from Jasmine Wang, Tomek Korbak and Mikita Balesni was unrelated to any safety concerns they had raised.

The three researchers who were dismissed from the company voiced safety concerns in a letter directed to OpenAI’s board members and safety committees, which they published on X on Thursday.

“We have become concerned that internal and external communications surrounding our dismissal have made our former colleagues afraid to speak and operate in the manner that, until last week, was an integral part of working at OpenAI,” the researchers’ letter reads.

Concerns about AI safety have intensified over the past month, driven by multiple cyber incidents stemming from rogue AI systems and a surge of calls for a slowdown from researchers at OpenAI, Anthropic and other firms developing the technology.

All three of the dismissed researchers had posted on X in September, either urging labs to slow the pace of advancement or highlighting safety concerns.

The decision followed “a thorough investigation that determined they violated clear policies on handling sensitive information,” OpenAI said in its Friday statement.

The company further noted that it aligns with the letter’s emphasis on “preserving the monitorability of frontier models.” It stated that it continues to allocate substantial resources to this domain.

Cyber incidents and their impact

AI safety concerns have escalated to a fever pitch in recent months, following revelations that rogue OpenAI agents carried out a cyberattack on the startup Hugging Face in July.

Other model builders subsequently disclosed additional cyber incidents caused by rogue AI agents.

Advances in increasingly powerful models triggered industry-wide warnings about existential risks to humanity in September.

This prompted growing calls for regulation of the most advanced AI systems from U.S. lawmakers and politicians, as well as OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei.

U.S. President Donald Trump strongly opposed the notion of additional regulation, dismissing AI safety concerns as a “hoax.”

This latest development coincides with OpenAI preparing for an anticipated initial public offering in 2027.

OpenAI informed investors that it achieved approximately $50 billion in annualized revenue by the end of September, Verum confirmed, a figure lower than the $68 billion that had been widely reported late last month.

Nvidia shares

Technologies

South African Jurist Navi Pillay Awarded Nobel Peace Prize for War Crimes Prosecution Work

Former ICC judge Navi Pillay wins the Nobel Peace Prize for her decades-long work prosecuting war crimes and advancing international human rights law.

Former International Criminal Court judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay received the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her contributions to advancing peace and international law. Pillay has played a pivotal role in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide face prosecution, stated Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Born to a family of Indian Tamil descent during apartheid in Durban, South Africa, Pillay has served as a judge on South Africa’s High Court, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and the International Criminal Court. She held the position of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014.

“Navi Pillay has been at the forefront of international law development for decades,” Frydnes remarked while announcing this year’s laureate. “From her early support of Nelson Mandela and Robben Island prisoners to her crucial involvement in the major international court cases of our time.” Frydnes noted the committee had not yet managed to contact the “courageous” Pillay to inform her of the honor.

“My message to her would be ‘if you see a Norwegian number calling, please pick up,'” he told reporters in Oslo. The prize recognizes individuals or institutions that have “done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations,” according to Alfred Nobel’s will.

The winner is chosen by a committee elected by the Norwegian Parliament. Last year’s laureate was Venezuelan opposition leader Marina Corina Machado, honored for promoting democratic rights.

Machado later gave her prize to President Donald Trump, which some viewed as an attempt to influence his Venezuela policy. The Norwegian Nobel Institute clarified the prize cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred.

Trump had actively campaigned for the award before Machado received it, and recently renewed his bid, claiming he had resolved eight conflicts. Earlier this year, Trump connected his aggressive push to control Greenland to being overlooked for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Previous laureates include Japanese anti-nuclear organization Nihon Hidankyo, Maria Ressa and Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov for defending press freedom in the Philippines and Russia, and former U.S. president Barack Obama. In 2026, laureates will receive 12 million Swedish crowns ($1.2 million).

Technologies

Treasury Yields Hold Steady as Trump Adopts Diplomatic Stance on Iran Before Midterms

Treasury yields steadied Friday as investors digested the latest auction and President Trump’s pledge to avoid military action against Iran until after the midterms. The 10-year yield edged higher while energy prices fell.

Bond yields largely stabilized Friday morning as investors absorbed the latest Treasury auction and President Donald Trump’s vow to refrain from attacking Iran until after the midterm elections.

Yields on 10-year U.S. Treasurys

The yield on longer-dated 30-year U.S. Treasury notes

The yield on the 2-year Treasury note

One basis point equals 0.01%, or 1/100th of 1%, and yields and prices move inversely to one another.

|—|—|—|—|

| US10Y | U.S. 10 Year Treasury | 5.255% | +0.022 |

| US1M | U.S. 1 Month Treasury | 4.04% | +0.007 |

| US1Y | U.S. 1 Year Treasury | 4.448% | +0.02 |

| US2Y | U.S. 2 Year Treasury | 4.791% | +0.035 |

| US30Y | U.S. 30 Year Treasury | 5.624% | +0.017 |

| US3M | U.S. 3 Month Treasury | 4.17% | +0.019 |

| US6M | U.S. 6 Month Treasury | 4.33% | +0.022 |

The movement follows a decline in Treasury yields during the previous session, after they reached their highest level since 2002 earlier in the week.

President Trump stated on Thursday that the U.S. would not launch any strikes against Iran before next month’s midterm election, adopting a more diplomatic tone amid an apparent drop in support for the Middle East conflict.

Energy prices, which have surged since the conflict erupted on Feb. 28, declined after Trump’s remarks. West Texas Intermediate futures

Earlier, Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller indicated that additional interest rate increases might be necessary to combat persistent inflation, which has remained above the Fed’s 2% target for over five years. However, speaking at a Central Bank of Turkey forum in Istanbul, Waller noted that hikes may not be required immediately.

On Thursday, the Treasury Department sold $22 billion in 30-year notes, with indirect bidders — including central banks — taking more than 72% of the auction, above a 10-auction average of 68%. The department on Wednesday sold $39 billion in 10-year notes.

No major economic data releases are expected Friday.