Philip Zimmermann

One of the "Top 50 Tech Visionaries of the last 50 years" - PC World
Inducted into the Internet Society's Internet Hall of Fame
Picture of Phil

Creator of PGP

Background

Phil Zimmermann is the creator of Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), which has grown from its origins in 1991 as a human rights tool to become the most widely used email encryption software in the world. Since 2004, his focus has been on secure telephony for the Internet, developing the ZRTP protocol and creating products that use it. He is Co-founder of Silent Circle, a provider of secure telephony services.

Zimmermann has received numerous technical and humanitarian awards for his pioneering work in cryptography. In 2015 he received the EPIC Privacy Champions Award from the Electronic Privacy Information Center. In 2014 he was inducted into the National Cyber Security Hall of Fame, and Foreign Policy Magazine named him one of the Leading Global Thinkers of 2014. In 2012 the Internet Society inducted him into the Internet Hall of Fame. In 2008 PC World named him one of the Top 50 Tech Visionaries of the last 50 years. In 2006 eWeek ranked PGP 9th in the 25 Most Influential and Innovative Products introduced since the invention of the PC in 1981. In 1999 he received the Louis Brandeis Award from Privacy International, in 1998 a Lifetime Achievement Award from Secure Computing Magazine, and in 1996 the Norbert Wiener Award from Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility for promoting the responsible use of technology. He also received the 1995 Chrysler Award for Innovation in Design, and the 1995 Pioneer Award from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Zimmermann is Associate Professor Emeritus of cybersecurity at Delft University of Technology Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, in the Netherlands. He received an Honorary Doctorate (Docteur Honoris Causa) from the Université Libre de Bruxelles in 2016. He received his bachelor's degree in computer science from Florida Atlantic University in 1978. He is a member of the International Association of Cryptologic Research. He served on the Roundtable on Scientific Communication and National Security, a collaborative project of The National Research Council and The Center for Strategic and International Studies. He also served on the Board of Directors for Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, and on the Advisory Board for Santa Clara University's Computer Engineering Department, and served as Fellow at the Stanford Law School's Center for Internet and Society.

Zimmermann can be reached by email at prz at mit dot edu.