Phil Zimmerman

Phil Zimmerman is an American computer scientist and cryptographer born in 1954. He is best known as the creator of Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), the most widely used email encryption software worldwide. Zimmermann is also recognized for his contributions to VoIP encryption protocols, such as ZRTP and Zfone. He co-founded and currently serves as Chief Scientist of Silent Circle, a prominent global encrypted communications firm. Zimmermann received a B.S. degree in computer science from Florida Atlantic University in 1978. Prior to his cryptographic work, he worked as a software engineer and military policy analyst. In 1991, Zimmermann released the highly popular PGP program, making it the first widely available implementation of public-key cryptography through public FTP and the internet.