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Wicker Me, and Amazon-owned hidden chat platform, stopped accepting new users after December 31 and will die completely on December 31 of this year, according to the announcement of the company.
The decision, first announced in November, follows some controversy over the most secure chat app, which allows users to register without a phone number or other identifying information, a favorite of security groups including hackers, drug dealers and journalists.
In June, an NBC News investigation revealed that Wickr Me has become the primary product for many traffickers in child sexual abuse material. The investigation identified 72 court cases from the past five years in which Wickr (as it is commonly known) was allegedly used to traffic in child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement officials and representatives for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children told NBC News at the time that Wickr did not do enough to detect or report the trafficking of such material on the platform.
In a statement provided to NBC News in June, an Amazon Web Services spokesperson said: “Amazon is committed to preventing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in every part of our business, including Wickr, which maintains clear Terms of Use prohibiting illegal. We act with be prompt in reporting illegal behavior, promptly respond to requests from law enforcement, and take appropriate action. Anyone who violates our terms should have their account terminated.
“Wickr has responded promptly, and is cooperating with law enforcement on this critical matter,” the spokesperson said.
In a statement in November, the company explained that it was shutting down Wickr Me to free up more resources and focus on its business-to-business products, AWS Wickr and Wickr Enterprise. The post made no mention of doing business with government agencies, including the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.
When NBC News tried to create a new test account on the app on January 1, it displayed a pop-up saying: “Wickr Me will not support new users from 31-Dec-2022. Wickr Me will not be available after 31-Dec. -2023.”
Wickr was founded in 2012, applying high-level encryption to consumer messaging products. In 2015, the company raised $39 million in funding. That same year, many outlets reported that the Islamic State terrorist organization was using the app to recruit new members. In 2016, one of the first successful prosecutions of people who trafficked child pornography on the app was reported by the Deseret Morning News.
In June 2021, Wickr was acquired by Amazon Web Services. Since the acquisition, the company has faced questions about government contracts with agencies like Customs and Border Protection, and drawn attention for its role in a records-related scandal in which the app was used to automatically destroy government communications.