We believe private communication is a human right
Not a privilege, not a premium feature, not something you earn by having nothing to hide.
Mission
We built SpeakEasy because we were frustrated with the status quo of "encrypted" communication: apps that claim end-to-end encryption while harvesting metadata, apps that are secure in marketing but use classical algorithms being harvested today, and apps designed to monetize attention rather than protect communication.
Post-quantum cryptography is not optional for anyone who thinks their communications might be sensitive in 10 or 15 years. That is a longer list of people than most assume. Lawyers, doctors, journalists, activists, business executives, and anyone in a position of trust over others' information should be thinking about HNDL now.
SpeakEasy exists to make quantum-resistant communication accessible. No PhD required. No security theatre. Real post-quantum algorithms (ML-KEM-768, ML-DSA-65) properly composed and deployed in an interface that does not make you think about cryptography.
Why now
Adversaries are collecting your encrypted communications today, banking on quantum computers that will exist within the decade to decrypt them retroactively. The attack has a name: Harvest Now, Decrypt Later (HNDL). It is not a theoretical future risk. It is a documented, ongoing operation.
Nation-state actors and well-resourced adversaries have been bulk-capturing encrypted traffic for years. They do not need to break the encryption today. They are storing it. When a cryptographically relevant quantum computer (CRQC) exists, everything they have collected becomes readable — including conversations you are having right now.
The timeline
Major intelligence agencies and academic researchers estimate a CRQC capable of breaking RSA-2048 and ECDH within 10–15 years. NIST treated this seriously enough to run a 7-year standardization process and publish its first post-quantum standards in 2024.
Who is already targeted
Lawyers, journalists, doctors, executives, researchers, activists, diplomats. Any professional whose conversations have long-term sensitivity — legal privilege, source protection, M&A, clinical data, national security — is already a target for HNDL collection.
What is ready
NIST published FIPS 203 (ML-KEM), FIPS 204 (ML-DSA), and FIPS 205 (SLH-DSA) in 2024. The algorithms are standardized, peer-reviewed, and ready. Widely-deployed messaging tools are not consistently using them. SpeakEasy does.
Most "secure" messaging apps are adding post-quantum cryptography incrementally and inconsistently. SpeakEasy was designed from the beginning around post-quantum algorithms — not bolted on after the fact. The threat informed every architectural decision, from key exchange to message ratchet to call encryption.
What we stand for
Open source cryptography
The cryptographic library is publicly available. We publish the code, the test vectors, and the audit reports. Security through obscurity is not security.
No venture capital
We are self-funded and intend to stay that way. VC incentives and user privacy don't mix. Our business model is direct: users pay for the service, not with their data.
No data monetization
We do not sell data, run advertising, or build user profiles. Revenue comes from subscriptions and server hosting. That is the entire business model.
User-owned servers
Your server, your data, your rules. The Community Server tier lets you self-host with your own domain. We can't access your users' data because we don't have it.
The team
SpeakEasy is built by a small, focused team with backgrounds in applied cryptography, distributed systems, and security engineering. We have contributed to open source cryptographic libraries, published research on post-quantum protocols, and deployed security systems in production at scale.
We are small by intention. A small team with clear values and direct accountability to users is easier to trust than a large organisation whose incentives may not align with yours.
Security questions, audit requests, and responsible disclosures: security@speakeasy.app
Where we are
SpeakEasy is in active development. Here is an honest picture of what is done and what is coming.
- Core post-quantum cryptography library
- Protocol specification and design review
- Web app (early access)
- Desktop apps — macOS, Windows, Linux In development
- Mobile apps — iOS and Android In development
- Independent cryptographic audit Funding dependent
- Community server tooling and docs Post-v1.0
- Open-source transition Post-audit