Philip R. Zimmermann is an American computer scientist and cryptographer. He is the creator of Pretty Good Privacy, the most widely used email encryption software in the world. He is also known for his work in VoIP encryption protocols, notably ZRTP and Zfone.

Phil Zimmermann is an American computer scientist and cryptographer widely recognized as the creator of Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), the most used software for email encryption. His work has been pivotal in the fight for digital privacy and has earned him numerous awards.

Key Contributions and Career

Pretty Good Privacy (PGP): In 1991, motivated by a proposed bill that would have mandated government "back doors" in all communication systems, Zimmermann developed and released PGP for free to the public. It was the first widely available program to implement public-key cryptography, a move intended to democratize online privacy for ordinary people and human rights activists worldwide.

"Crypto Wars": The international distribution of PGP, which used an encryption key length considered a "munition" under U.S. export law at the time, led to a three-year criminal investigation by the U.S. government. The case was eventually dropped without indictment in 1996, and the ensuing legal battles helped establish that software code is a form of speech protected by the First Amendment.

Silent Circle: Zimmermann co-founded Silent Circle in 2012, a secure communications company offering encrypted hardware and subscription software.

VoIP Encryption: He is also known for developing the ZRTP protocol and the related Zfone software for secure Voice over IP (VoIP) encryption.

"Zimmermann's Law": He famously stated, "The natural flow of technology tends to move in the direction of making surveillance easier," a concept often referred to as "Zimmermann's Law".

Recognition

Zimmermann has received many technical and humanitarian awards, including:

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Pioneer Award in 1995.

Induction into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2012.

An honorary doctorate from the Université libre de Bruxelles in 2016.

More information is available on Phil Zimmermann's official website, philzimmermann.com.