Briar (software)

Briar is an open-source software communication technology, intended to provide secure and resilient peer-to-peer communications with no centralized servers and minimal reliance on external infrastructure. Messages can be transmitted through Bluetooth, WiFi, over the internet via Tor or removable storage, such as USB sticks. All communication is end-to-end encrypted. Relevant content is stored in encrypted form on participating devices. Long-term plans for the project include "blogging, crisis mapping and collaborative document editing."

Briar
Initial release9 May 2018 (2018-05-09)[1]
Stable release(s)
Android1.4.6[2][3]  / 13 April 2022
Preview release(s)
Android1.4.6[4]  / 2 April 2022
GNU/Linux0.2.0[5][6]  / 22 February 2022
Repositorycode.briarproject.org/briar/briar
Written inJava, Kotlin[7]
Operating systemAndroid
TypeMesh networking, Instant Messaging
LicenseGPL-3.0-or-later
Websitebriarproject.org

The initial target audience for Briar includes "activists, journalists and civil society" with plans to make the system "simple enough to help anyone keep their data safe."[8] As the ability to function in the absence of internet infrastructure may also make the project valuable to disaster response and aid organizations, the developers are working with the Open Humanitarian Initiative and Taarifa.[9] Ultimately, the developers aim to create a system which is "as simple to use as WhatsApp, as secure as PGP, and that keeps working if somebody breaks the Internet."[9]

Briar's source code is published as free software and the mobile app is distributed under the terms of the GNU GPL-3.0-or-later license, while the desktop version is released under the Affero General Public License.[10] It was audited by Cure53 and spoken highly of in a report delivered 20 March 2017, and was recommended to be given a second audit after development completes.[11][12]

As of 2018 the project received $361,100 of funding from the Open Technology Fund.[13]

See also

References

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