Deutsche Post, Europe’s largest mail services operator, today launched a free messaging service named ‘SIMSme’ (Update – May 2023: The startup seems to be no longer in business under this website, and we therefore deactivated the original link).
The app allows its users to send text messages, photos, videos, and contact and location information in a secure way. The distinguishing feature of SIMSme is its high level of data protection. All messages are automatically encrypted by the sender and can only be decrypted by the recipient (in contrast to WhatsApp). This so-called ‘end-to-end encryption’ makes eavesdropping by third parties theoretically impossible. All data is stored only on servers in Germany, and messages are deleted from the servers after delivery to the recipient.
Whereas the terms of service of other messaging services call for the customer’s consent that all content – including photos – can be distributed without limitation in any media format and by any means, SIMSme users retain their rights. Users who want to send particularly sensitive messages can equip SIMSme with an extra self-destruction feature for €0.89. This feature can be used as needed for all messages, providing another layer of security for those users who do not want their data and photos to be permanently visible in the internet.
The new SIMSme app is available now as a free download for users of iPhones and Android. Users can register easily with SIMSme with their own cell phone number; Deutsche Post then uses these numbers for account verification and for encrypted comparison with other contacts from the local phone book, so that how the customer can find out which contacts from their phone book also use SIMSme. If a recipient is not yet registered with SIMSme, the user can be invited to register directly from the app via text message, Facebook or e-mail.
The use of SIMSme as a secure but paid communications tool for businesses is a possible future development and could become a nice additional revenue stream for Deutsche Post.
Marco Hauprich, Senior Vice President Mobile & New Media at Deutsche Post, stated: “For over 500 years, Deutsche Post has been entrusted with the secure and confidential delivery of informations. Now this also applies for the popular instant messages between smartphones. We guarantee the highest level of data privacy according to strict German laws, without requiring any extra effort on the part of the user. We provide SIMSme free of charge and do not use the service for advertising purposes as other services do.”
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Sims me is a great application from my point of view as it allow users to send messages shares photos in a easy way.As Sims me provide a high level security. great work.