Editing Phil Zimmermann

{{short description|Creator of Pretty Good Privacy (PGP)}}
{{distinguish|text=icon painter [[Philip Zimmerman]]}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox person/Wikidata|fetchwikidata=ALL|dateformat=mdy
| name        = Phil Zimmermann
| image       = PRZ closeup cropped.jpg
| caption     = 
| birth_date  = {{Birth year and age|1954}}<ref name="garfinkel"/>
| birth_place = [[Camden, New Jersey]], U.S.<ref name="garfinkel"/>
| death_date  =
| death_place =
| known_for   = Creator of [[Pretty Good Privacy]]
| occupation  =
}}

'''Philip R. Zimmermann<ref name="philbio" />''' (born 1954)<ref name="garfinkel">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cSe_0OnZqjAC&q=%22Phil+Zimmermann%22+1954&pg=PA85|title=PGP: Pretty Good Privacy|last=Garfinkel|first=Simson|publisher=O'Reilly & Associates|year=1994|isbn=0585032211|pages=85|oclc=45730291}}</ref> is an American [[computer scientist]] and [[Cryptography|cryptographer]]. He is the creator of [[Pretty Good Privacy]] (PGP), the most widely used [[email encryption]] software in the world.<ref name=philbio/> He is also known for his work in [[VoIP]] encryption protocols, notably [[ZRTP]] and [[Zfone]]. Zimmermann is co-founder and Chief Scientist of the global encrypted communications firm [[Silent Circle (software)|Silent Circle]].

==Background==
Zimmermann was born in [[Camden, New Jersey]].<ref name="garfinkel" /> He received a B.S. degree in [[computer science]] from [[Florida Atlantic University]] in [[Boca Raton, Florida]], in 1978.<ref name="philbio" /> In the 1980s, he worked in [[Boulder, Colorado]], as a [[software engineer]] on the [[Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign]] as a military [[policy analyst]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url = http://www.techrepublic.com/article/defending-the-last-missing-pixels-phil-zimmermann/|title = Defending the last missing pixels: Phil Zimmermann speaks out on encryption, privacy, and avoiding a surveillance state|last = Ranger|first = Steve|date = 23 June 2015|work = TechRepublic}}</ref> From 2016 to 2021, he worked at [[Delft University of Technology]] as an Associate Professor in the Cybersecurity section at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, and Computer Science.

==PGP==
In 1991, he wrote the popular [[Pretty Good Privacy]] (PGP) program, and made it available (together with its source code) through public [[FTP]] for download, the first widely available program implementing public-key [[cryptography]]. Shortly thereafter, it became available overseas via the Internet, though Zimmermann has said he had no part in its distribution outside the United States.

The very first version of PGP included an encryption algorithm, [[BassOmatic]], developed by Zimmermann.<ref>{{cite book |title=An introduction to cryptography |last=Mollin |first=Richard A. |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |year=2007 |page=227 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vje8TRcLlycC&pg=PA227|isbn=9781420011241 }}</ref>

===Arms Export Control Act investigation===
After a report from [[RSA Security]], who were in a licensing dispute with regard to the use of the RSA algorithm in PGP, the [[United States Customs Service]] started a criminal investigation of Zimmermann, for allegedly violating the [[Arms Export Control Act]].<ref name="Kafka territory">{{cite magazine|last=Sussman|first=Vic|author-link=Vic Sussman|title=Lost in Kafka Territory|url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/950403/archive_010975.htm|magazine=U.S. News & World Report|access-date=27 May 2012|date=March 26, 1995|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616165334/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/950403/archive_010975.htm|archive-date=16 June 2013}}</ref> The United States Government had long regarded cryptographic software as a munition, and thus subject to [[export of cryptography|arms trafficking export controls]]. At that time, PGP was considered to be impermissible ("high-strength") for export from the United States. The maximum strength allowed for legal export has since been raised and now allows PGP to be exported. The investigation lasted three years, but was finally dropped without filing charges after MIT Press published the source code of PGP.<ref>{{Cite book|isbn = 0262240394|title = PGP Source Code and Internals|last1 = Zimmermann|first1 = Philip R.|year = 1995| publisher=MIT Press }}</ref> 

In 1995, Zimmermann published the book ''PGP Source Code and Internals'' as a way to bypass limitations on exporting digital code. Zimmermann's introduction says the book contains "all of the C source code to a software package called PGP" and that the unusual publication in book form of the complete source code for a computer program was a direct response to the U.S. government's criminal investigation of Zimmermann for violations of U.S. export restrictions as a result of the international spread of PGP's use.<ref name=philbook>{{cite web |url=https://philzimmermann.com/EN/essays/BookPreface.html |title=Author's preface to the book: "PGP Source Code and Internals" |access-date=2020-05-26}}</ref>

After the government dropped its case without indictment in early 1996, Zimmermann founded PGP Inc. and released an updated version of PGP and some additional related products. That company was acquired by [[Network Associates]] (NAI) in December 1997, and Zimmermann stayed on for three years as a Senior Fellow. NAI decided to drop the product line and in 2002, PGP was acquired from NAI by a new company called [[PGP Corporation]]. Zimmermann served as a special advisor and consultant to that firm until [[NortonLifeLock|Symantec]] acquired PGP Corporation in 2010.<ref name="philbio">{{cite web |title=Phil Zimmermann's Homepage: Background |url=http://www.philzimmermann.com/EN/background/index.html |access-date=2012-01-12}}</ref> Zimmermann is also a fellow at the Stanford Law School's [[Stanford Center for Internet and Society|Center for Internet and Society]]. He was a principal designer of the cryptographic key agreement protocol (the "association model") for the [[Wireless USB]] standard.

== Silent Circle ==
Along with Mike Janke and [[Jon Callas]], in 2012 he co-founded [[Silent Circle (software)|Silent Circle]], a secure hardware and subscription based software security company.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url = https://home.silentcircle.com/|title = Silent Circle|access-date = 25 June 2015|publisher = Silent Circle|at = Private By Design|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150611211029/https://home.silentcircle.com/|archive-date = 11 June 2015}}</ref>

== Dark Mail Alliance ==
In October 2013, Zimmermann, along with other key employees from Silent Circle, teamed up with [[Lavabit]] founder [[Ladar Levison]] to create the [[Dark Mail Alliance]]. The goal of the organization is to work on a new protocol to replace PGP that will encrypt email metadata, among other things that PGP is not capable of.

== Okuna ==
Zimmermann was also involved in the social network [[Okuna]], formerly Openbook, which aimed to be an ethical and privacy-friendly alternative to existing social networks, especially [[Facebook]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Okuna {{!}} Ethical social network|url=https://about.okuna.io/en/about-us|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-21|website=about.okuna.io}}</ref> He sees today's established social media platforms as a threat to democracy and privacy, because of their profit-oriented revenue models that "are all about exploiting our personal information" and "[deepen] the political divides in our culture", and hoped Okuna would help solve these problems.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=25 July 2018|title=Phil Zimmermann on Openbook|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n99xXlbGFjw|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-21|website=YouTube}}</ref>

==Zimmermann's Law==
In 2013, an article on "Zimmermann's Law" quoted Phil Zimmermann as saying "The natural flow of technology tends to move in the direction of making surveillance easier", and "the ability of computers to track us doubles every eighteen months",<ref>{{cite news
 | url=http://gigaom.com/2013/08/11/zimmermanns-law-pgp-inventor-and-silent-circle-co-founder-phil-zimmermann-on-the-surveillance-society/
 | title=Zimmermann's Law: PGP inventor and Silent Circle co-founder Phil Zimmermann on the surveillance society — Tech News and Analysis
 | work=[[GigaOM]]
 | author=Om Malik
 | date=2013-08-11
 | access-date=2013-08-20
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815064716/http://gigaom.com/2013/08/11/zimmermanns-law-pgp-inventor-and-silent-circle-co-founder-phil-zimmermann-on-the-surveillance-society/
 | archive-date=2013-08-15
 | url-status=dead
 }}</ref> in reference to [[Moore's law]].

==Awards and other recognition==
Zimmermann has received numerous technical and humanitarian awards for his pioneering work in [[cryptography]]:
* In 2018, Zimmermann was inducted into [[Information Systems Security Association]] (ISSA) hall of fame by the ISSA International Organization on October 16, 2018.
* In 2016, Zimmermann was awarded a honorary doctorate from the Université libre de Bruxelles <ref>[https://www.ulb.be/en/about-ulb/ulbs-honorary-doctorates]ULB’s honorary doctorates</ref>
* In 2012, Zimmermann was inducted into the [[Internet Hall of Fame]] by the [[Internet Society]].<ref>[http://www.internethalloffame.org/inductees/year/2012 2012 Inductees], [[Internet Hall of Fame]] website. Last accessed April 24, 2012</ref>
* In 2008, ''[[PC World (magazine)|PC World]]'' named Zimmermann one of the "Top 50 Tech Visionaries" of the last 50 years.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,145290-page,1-c,technology/article.html |title=Top 50 Tech Visionaries |access-date=2008-05-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528110152/http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,145290-page,1-c,technology/article.html |archive-date=2008-05-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* In 2006, [[eWeek]] ranked PGP 9th in the 25 Most Influential and Innovative Products introduced since the invention of the PC in 1981.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eweek.com/servers/the-25-most-influential-products-of-the-past-25-years/|title=The 25 Most Influential Products of the Past 25 Years|first=eWEEK|last=EDITORS|date=August 14, 2006|website=eWEEK}}</ref>
* In 2003, ''[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]'' named him a "[[Reason (magazine)#Heroes of Freedom|Hero of Freedom]]"<ref>[http://www.reason.com/news/show/28959.html ''35 Heroes of Freedom''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070912015047/http://www.reason.com/news/show/28959.html |date=2007-09-12 }}
''Reason'', December 2003 Retrieved April 10, 2007</ref>
* In 2001, Zimmermann was inducted into the [[CRN (magazine)|CRN]] Industry Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.crn.com/sections/special/hof/hof01.asp?ArticleID=31279|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040405065312/http://www.crn.com/sections/special/hof/hof01.asp?ArticleID=31279|url-status=dead|title=CRN Industry Hall of Fame|archive-date=April 5, 2004}}</ref>
* In 2000, [[InfoWorld]] named him one of the "Top 10 Innovators in E-business".<ref>[http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/00/10/09/001009hnpz.xml "Top 10 Innovators in E-business"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724053221/http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/00/10/09/001009hnpz.xml |date=2008-07-24 }}.</ref>
* In 1999, he received the [[Brandeis Award (privacy)|Louis Brandeis Award]] from [[Privacy International]].
* In 1998, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from ''[[Secure Computing Magazine]]''.
* In 1996, he received the [[Norbert Wiener Award for Social and Professional Responsibility]] for promoting the responsible use of [[technology]].
* In 1996, he received the [[Thomas S. Szasz Award]] for Outstanding Contributions to the Cause of Civil Liberties from the [[Center for Independent Thought]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Past Szasz Award Recipients |url=http://www.centerforindependentthought.org/past_szasz_award_recipients.html |website=Center for Independent Thought}}</ref>
* In 1995, he received the [[Chrysler Design Award]] for Innovation, and the [[EFF Pioneer Award|Pioneer Award]] from the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]].
* In 1995, ''[[Newsweek]]'' also named Zimmermann one of the "Net 50", the 50 most influential people on the [[Internet]].

[[Simon Singh]]'s ''[[The Code Book]]'' devotes an entire chapter to Zimmermann and PGP.<ref name="Singh">{{Cite book|last= Singh |first= Simon |author-link= Simon Singh |title= The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography |edition= US paperback |year= 2000 |publisher= [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] |isbn=0-385-49532-3 |title-link= The Code Book }}</ref> In 2022 [[Steven Johnson (author)|Steven Johnson]] covered his story and achievements in Zimmermann's profile for Hidden Heroes - The Crypto Wars: How Philip Zimmermann Fought for Our Right to Privacy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hiddenheroes.netguru.com/philip-zimmermann |title=The Crypto Wars: How Philip Zimmermann Fought for Our Right to Privacy |author=Steven Johnson |author-link=Steven Johnson (author) |publisher=Hidden Heroes | year=2022 | accessdate=September 6, 2022}}</ref>

==Publications==
*''The Official PGP User's Guide'', MIT Press, 1995<ref name="zimmermann1">{{Cite book|last= Zimmermann |first= Philip |author-link= Philip Zimmermann |title= The Official PGP User's Guide  |year= 1995 |publisher= [[MIT Press]] |isbn= 0-262-74017-6}}</ref>
*''PGP Source Code and Internals'', MIT Press, 1995<ref name="zimmermann2">{{Cite book|last= Zimmermann |first= Philip |author-link= Philip Zimmermann |title= PGP Source Code and Internals  |year= 1995 |publisher= [[MIT Press]] |isbn= 0-262-24039-4}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Data privacy]]
* [[GNU Privacy Guard]]
* [[Information privacy]]
* [[Information security]]
* [[PGPfone]]
* [[PGP word list]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{Wikiquote}}
*{{Official website}}
*[https://www.philzimmermann.com/EN/essays/WhyIWrotePGP.html Why I wrote PGP]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20030812140828/http://grep.law.harvard.edu/article.pl?sid=03%2F06%2F06%2F1441247&mode=nested Conversation With Phil Zimmermann], Mikael Pawlo, GrepLaw, June 6, 2003.
*[https://www.cnet.com/news/e-mail-security-hero-takes-on-voip/ E-mail security hero takes on VoIP], Declan McCullagh, C|net, 15 August 2006.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070403214130/http://www.vonmag-digital.com/vonmag/200701/ VON Pioneers: Philip Zimmermann Encrypts VoIP], VON Magazine, Jan 2007.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20200514214241/https://www.silentcircle.com/ Silent Circle – Global Encrypted Communications Service]

{{Internet Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zimmermann, Phil}}
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American people of German descent]]
[[Category:Cypherpunks]]
[[Category:American cryptographers]]
[[Category:Public-key cryptographers]]
[[Category:People from Camden, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Florida Atlantic University alumni]]
[[Category:Privacy activists]]
[[Category:American human rights activists]]
[[Category:American technology company founders]]