Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde is building a spy-proof messaging app The project has been created in a direct response to global concerns over online privacy and government snooping following the PRISM scandal. "All communication on today's networks are being monitored by government and agencies and private companies," says Sunde in a video introducing Hemlis. The politicians are not going to stop it, they're actually asking for more. That's why we decided to build a messaging platform where no-one can spy on you, not even us. The app will use end-to-end encryption to secure users" messages, though as the creators note on their website: "Nothing is ever 100% secure. There will not be any way for someone without access to your phone to read anything, but with access to your phone they can of course read the messages. Just as they can use any other app you have installed. The app will be free for messages only, and Sunde and his fellow co-founders promise that they won't fund Hemlis via ads or selling data. Instead they will raise money by charging to unlock extra features like sending images. The group is hoping to raise $100,000 initial seed money to fund the app, and at the time of writing have raised just under $40,000 from over 2200 backers in less than 24 hours. Although encryption is certainly the key selling point for Hemlis, other over the top messaging apps (OTT) like WhatsApp have also generated success from their simple and clean user interfaces. Hemlis hopes to mimic this success by creating a "simple and beautiful user experience." Although Hemlis may ultimately prove a niche product, its early success indicates widespread interest. It certainly wouldn't be the first privacy-centric tech product to benefit from news of the NSA and GCHQ's snooping habits - anonymous search engine DuckDuckGo experienced a similar boom in interest after the revelations.