Why Silent Circle thinks the world needs a 'privacy first' app store

With reports of U.S. and British spies seeking to hack into SIM card encryption keys and Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) iOS, security is becoming a greater focus for developers and consumers alike. The makers of the Blackphone think they have found an important, overlooked niche: consumers who put a premium on the privacy of their personal data. 

Based in Switzerland, an organization now known as Silent Circle first released the Blackphone about a year ago, promising a "privacy-first" approach to the design of its hardware as well as PrivatOS, a version of Android intended to address common security concerns. The Blackphone already came with a "Silent Suite" of applications to ensure privacy protection for texting, calling and managing contact information. Yet in just a few weeks the company is also planning to launch an app store whereby developers from around the world will be invited to submit their work for a review process that will ensure consumers will not need to worry about personal information being misused or compromised. For more on why the company is launching the store and what it hopes to achieve, check out this FierceDeveloper special report