BlackBerry Makes Its Enterprise-Grade End-To-End Encrypted Messaging Platform Available To BBM Consumers
Decision is in response to Emtek announcing the end of its BBM service;
BBM Enterprise
BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) announced
today that in light of Emtek’s decision to end its service of BBM for consumers
on May 31, 2019, the company is making BBM Enterprise (BBMe), its enterprise-grade
end-to-end encrypted messaging platform, available for individual use. This
decision was made out of BlackBerry’s respect for loyal BBM users and was not a
contractual obligation. It will
not affect the company’s financial guidance and enterprise software
strategy.
“While
we respect Emtek’s decision, we’re
disappointed the platform did not thrive and grow as expected,” said Mark
Wilson, Chief Marketing Officer, BlackBerry. “After much consideration, we
decided that BBM’s loyal users should continue to have a secure messaging
platform that they can trust.”
Starting
today, users can download BBMe from Android’s Google Play store. It will be
available in the Apple App Store soon. BBMe will be available for free for
the first year. After the first year, a 6-month subscription will be available
for USD $2.49.
For
35 years, BlackBerry has provided a secure way for people to communicate. In 2016, the
company licensed BBM Consumer to Emtek as part of its transition into a growing
billion-dollar security software company – whose technology today is used by the
world’s largest public and private organizations, as well as embedded in
drones, planes, MRI machines, industrial equipment, and more than 120 million
vehicles on the road today.
Why Working Professionals Should Say, “BB(Me)”
BBMe
is a secure messaging platform that also protects your privacy. Because
BlackBerry does not monetize data, the service won’t ask for a phone number,
suggest contacts to users, nor does it desire to know where users are messaging
from, or what is being shared. The service only requires an email address to
sign up unlike other apps.
BBMe
can be downloaded on any device that uses Android, iOS, Windows or MAC
operating systems. The sender and recipient each have unique public/private
encryption and signing keys. These keys are generated on the device by a FIPS
140-2 certified cryptographic library and are not controlled by BlackBerry.
Each message uses a new symmetric key for message encryption. Additionally, TLS
encryption between the device and BlackBerry’s infrastructure protects BBMe
messages from eavesdropping or manipulation.
From
a feature perspective, BBMe users can conduct group chats, voice and video
calls, as well as edit, retract, or set an expiration time on a single message.
They’ll also know when a message is received and read, and have the ability to
share files, voice notes, and their location. BBMe for individual use can be
used on up to five devices simultaneously.
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