
BlackBerry Wins NSA Approval to Encrypt Texts, Phone Calls for Government
BlackBerry Ltd (BBRY) won approval from the National Security Agency to sell tools used to encrypt text messages and phone calls to the U.S. government, the New York Post reported.
The NSA's National Information Assurance Partnership, which reviews commercial technology products to ensure they meet enhanced security standards for government use, endorsed the sales deal. The NIAP has previously approved of tools from Apple Inc (AAPL) - Get Report and Samsung (SSNLF) .
The BlackBerry tools use technology from German startup Secusmart, which BlackBerry acquired in 2014. Secusmart previously won a contract to encrypt Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone after a former U.S. intelligence contractor said the NSA tapped Merkel's phone.
BlackBerry stock traded up almost 1.5% Thursday morning.
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