Philip Zimmermann Joins CPSR Board

Philip R. Zimmermann, Chairman and Chief Technology Officer of Pretty Good Privacy, Inc., joined the CPSR Board of Directors in February, 1997. Phil was named Special Director by the Board. CPSR President Aki Namioka said,"We have long admired Phil's work and are thrilled to learn he will serve as Special Director. Pretty GoodPrivacy (PGP) andPhil Zimmermann are synonymous with trust. We are eager to work with a man of such integrity and excited to play a greater role in the discussion of privacy in the digital age."

The appointment of Zimmermann to Special Director comes in recognition of Zimmermann's years of work on PGP, the original encryption software for email, and his involvement in supporting individual privacy rights.

This appointment follows a similar honor conferred last year on Zimmermann by CPSR. Last October, CPSR presented Zimmermann with the prestigious 1996 Norbert Wiener Award, which annually goes to a person who demonstrates excellence in promoting the responsible use of technology.

"For 15 years, CPSR has been the canary in the coal mine on assessing the implications of computer technology for society," said Zimmermann. "I hope I can be of help to them in the area of digital privacy and civil liberties in the information age."

Zimmermann's appointment came just before the CPSR conference "Community Space and Cyberspace:What's the Connection?" in Seattle, WA., on March 3 and 4.

About Pretty Good Privacy Inc.Pretty Good Privacy (www.pgp.com), founded in March 1996, is a leading provider of digital-privacy products for private communications and the secure storage of data for businesses and individuals. Pretty Good Privacy's original encryption software for e-mail applications (PGP) was distributed as freeware in 1991 by Phil Zimmermann, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of Pretty Good Privacy, and allowed individuals, for the first time, to send information without risk of interception. With millions of users, it has since become the world leader in email encryption and the de facto standard for Internet mail encryption. Almost a third of all Fortune 100 companies are using the product.

In order to provide only the strongest encryption software, Pretty Good Privacy publishes all of its encryption source code and algorithms for extensive peer review and public scrutiny. The company can be reached at 415.572.0430; http://www.pgp.com/

CPSR is a public-interest alliance of computer scientists and others interested in the impact of computer technology on society. CPSR attempts to direct public attention to difficult choices concerning the applications of computing and how those choices affect society. CPSR's national office is in Palo Alto, Calif. Phone 415.322.3778; http://www.cpsr.org

Updated April 8, 1997

Return to the CPSR Home Page.

Send Mail to Webmaster.