New Service Lets Users Scramble Data On Social Networks

A new service will allow users to post messages to the Web using a "scramble" capability that makes the postings unreadable to anyone except the intended recipients.

Wave Systems has launched scrambls, a free data-scrambling service that works on Facebook or any other social media site via a browser plug-in.

Users enable scrambls in the browser to encode part or all of a message before it's uploaded to a social media site. They can select the individuals or groups that can see the message in clear text on their devices. Friends can add scrambls to their own browsers, and messages will look the same as usual for them. Anyone else that was not approved to read the post will see only scrambld text.

"Greater control enables greater use of social media," said Michael Sprague, scrambls co-creator, in a statement. "Post confidently, knowing your boss won't see messages meant for high school friends, and permanent records of what you say online won't come back to haunt you in the future."

Scrambls empowers users not only to choose who can see postings, but also when messages appear and for how long, Wave says. And if you post something and then change your mind, you can take it back by changing the groups or individuals permitted to read that post. Scrambld messages can't be read or scanned by online services, which helps protect user privacy, according to the firm.

Once the plug-in is installed, a switch will appear in the browser, allowing users to choose the individuals or groups who can read their posts. The content is automatically scrambld on the user's device before it is uploaded to the site.

Along with the launch of the service, scrambls is releasing a software developer kit (SDK) to enable third-party apps and sites to integrate scrambls. Businesses can also use the SDK to incorporate scrambls into their existing corporate policy services, Wave says.

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