Today we are excited to announce that we have raised more than $1M in funding for Divvi Up, led by the Open Tech Fund and joined by the Ford Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Google.
This funding will help ISRG continue to develop Divvi Up, a project focused on fundamentally improving peoples' privacy when they engage with apps, websites, or other technology collecting their data.
Launched in 2020, Divvi Up is a system for privacy-respecting aggregate statistics. Divvi Up provides cryptographic assurances to protect individual privacy; we're not aware of any other production system with this capability. With Divvi Up, app owners and operators can gain the insights they need while protecting the privacy of their users. App users can share their data knowing that their privacy will be protected.
"It is invigorating and inspiring that these leading organizations recognize the potential Divvi Up has for dramatically benefiting user privacy," ISRG Executive Director, Josh Aas, said. "Divvi Up got its start as part of a massive undertaking to use advanced technology to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. We were proud to be part of that effort. Now, we're expanding Divvi Up to serve a much broader range of use cases," Aas continued.
The Open Tech Fund (OTF) is providing $845,444 to support the development of Divvi Up and the work to standardize the underlying protocol with the IETF. "OTF is pleased to see ISRG advance user privacy via Divvi Up, particularly for people in repressive Internet environments," OTF President, Laura Cunningham, said. "Ensuring everyone around the world can use the Internet for their benefit is critical—ensuring their security and privacy is paramount. ISRG and its projects are helping lead the way to protecting security and privacy for all users of the Internet around the world."
The Ford Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation are each providing $40,000 to support Divvi Up.
Paul Tarini, senior program officer at RWJF commented, "Personal health data is some of the most sensitive information and Divvi Up is designed to protect the privacy of that information. Apps and other technologies are becoming an integral part of how we deliver health and health care services, yet many people are concerned about the privacy of the data they provide," Paul said. "We hope Divvi Up works for a broad range of organizations so that as many people as possible can benefit from health technology while preserving their own privacy."
This funding is an important next step in the development of Divvi Up, however there is more to be done. The next few months will see Divvi Up develop its client libraries, continue the work at the IETF, and much more. To sign up for updates on our progress, consider joining the mailing list. If you or your organization are interested in trying out Divvi Up, sign up for the waitlist.
Divvi Up is a project of the nonprofit Internet Security Research Group (ISRG), the organization behind Let's Encrypt and Prossimo. If you or your organization are interested in helping advance the work of ISRG via funding, advocacy, or another idea, please get in touch via sponsor@abetterinternet.org.