The IT branch of CNT has created an app called “SinGuasa”, the name is a pun using the slang term guasa “joking”, which combined with the negative preposition “sin” (without) sounds similar to the Spanish pronunciation of the famous messaging application WhatsApp. The new app is completely independent and DIY, designed and developed by IT workers without any external labour or funding. Using an XMP/Jabber client, you can now access secure messaging on Android phones and tablets as well as Windows and Linux computers. As an encrypted opensource service it offers much more security against online surveillance, however the developers warn that security would be breached if there is malware on your device, recommending the use on alternative operating systems like Debian, Tails and Freepto. Online encryption services are an essential tool for activists, with many long running services like Riseup and the Guardian Project offering similar solutions to the ever growing worldwide online surveillance.

If you have never used encryption and are politically active, you should definitely look in to these. To learn more about encryption services in London, get in touch with the Autonomous Tech Fetish Collective, based at the Common House in Bethnal Green.

Juana Belén Gutiérrez de Mendoza