There’s two different approaches when it comes to embracing intelligent mobile technologies.
On the one hand you have the early adopter with a “devil-may-care” attitude to sharing personal details about themselves in a public setting. These are the people that are volunteering their GPS to be tracked on Google Latitude, cross-posting their Foursquare check-ins to Twitter, and sharing the results of their latest brain wave scans to Facebook. Then on the other end of the spectrum is the cautious integrator who recognizes the value of new technology but doesn’t see the need to automate the publication of their personal lives.
SurfEasy Inc. is a Toronto-based firm that makes products for the latter type of user. It recently announced at Mobile World Congress it will be offering a mobile version of its online privacy software in April. It takes the same features that Windows and Mac users enjoy from the software – shielding IP address, physical location and other identifying tidbits from prying eyes – and extends it to Android and iOS devices.
The cloud service encrypts all your communications on the Web using a private network, without requiring a complex proxy setup. The service could be a boon to businesses that have concerns about employees storing sensitive company details on a mobile phone and then having them leak out from there. Even small businesses that allow their employees to use their own smartphones at work could offer to cover the expense of installing SurfEasy, and the employee would simply install it from Google Play or the App Store.
No pricing has been released for the mobile service yet, but a free trial will be available at launch. SurfEasy’s desktop service, which includes a USB key for encrypted Web browsing, costs $69.99.