Amazon (AMZN) has shutdown encrypted chat app Wickr Me.
The e-commerce giant said that it officially closed Wickr Me on December 31, 2022, following several controversies related to the ultra-secure chat platform.
Wickr Me allowed users to sign up without a phone number or other potentially identifying information, making it a popular option among hackers, drug dealers, and money launderers.
Last summer, media reports surfaced that Wickr Me had become a go-to product for many people trading child sexual abuse material online.
Amazon was accused of not doing enough to detect or report illegal activity on the Wickr Me app.
Amazon said that it shutdown Wickr Me to devote more resources towards its business-to-business products. An online post by the company did not mention the use of Wickr Me by some U.S. government agencies, including the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security.
Wickr Me was founded in 2012, applying high-level encryption to a consumer-messaging app.
The encrypted platform was quickly used by criminals online, as well as some terrorist organizations. The Islamic State terrorist organization has been reported to use the Wickr Me app to recruit new members.
In June 2021, Wickr Me was acquired by Amazon. Since the acquisition, Amazon had faced questions about the chat app’s use among criminals, as well as with government agencies.
Amazon’s stock declined 50% in 2022 and finished the year trading at $84 U.S. per share.
