Virtru Named a Finalist for 2015 SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - Feb 12, 2015) -  Virtru, the company that makes it easy for anyone to keep digital information private, today announced it was selected as a finalist for the 18th annual SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards under the Privacy & Security category. Previously called the SXSW Interactive Awards, the rebranded SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards celebrates the best and latest advancements of 2014 across an increasingly diverse ecosystem of platforms, software, apps and devices. Of hundreds of applications submitted, Virtru was one of 70 finalist spots given across 14 categories by a panel of judges comprised of industry peers and experts. 

The list of 14 categories in this competition, which are entirely new this year, include Health Med & Biotech, Innovation in Connecting People, Innovative 3-DIY, Internet of Things, Music Discovery, New Economy, Privacy & Security, Responsive Design, SciFi No Longer, Student Innovation, Sustainable Tech, Transportation Advancements, Visual Media Experience, and Wearable Tech. 

"The Snowden scandal, Sony mega-hack, and ongoing government overextending illustrate just how susceptible email is to attack and the prying eyes of others," said John Ackerly, Co-Founder and CEO of Virtru. "Email is here to stay, but without practical, easy-to-use privacy controls, people and their private communications will continue to be vulnerable. That's why we founded Virtru."

Virtru offers free end-to-end email encryption that takes only seconds to download and is seamlessly added into all major email platforms, including Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook, Mac Mail or available as an Android or iOS app. Unlike traditional email encryption services, Virtru encrypts email content and attachments right on the user's device -- only the sender and the receiver can decrypt the message and no third party ever has access to the content. Virtru has made key exchange and email encryption so easy and so integrated that all a user needs to do is flip on the Virtru switch to send a secure message to anyone, anywhere. Virtru then goes a step further and offers unique privacy controls like the ability to revoke messages after they've been sent and restrict who has access to forwarded messages and for how long. Virtru also enables users to set expiry for sensitive emails and attachments to auto delete -- much like the ephemerality of popular apps like Snapchat and Confide but for the most used form of digital communications -- email.

"We are blown away by the bold creativity and innovation embodied by this year's Innovation Award finalists," said Mason Stewart, SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards Coordinator. "Considering the quality of this finalist pool, determining the winners will be no small feat." 

The SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards Ceremony takes place the evening of Tuesday, March 17, 2015 on the sixth floor of the Hilton Austin Downtown, where the winners from each category will be revealed and honored. The ceremony is presented by PricewaterhouseCoopers and supporting sponsors Cloud.typography and IBM. For more information about the SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards and to view the complete list of 2015 finalists, visit the following site: http://sxsw.com/interactive/awards/interactive-awards. 

Virtru has been recognized for its technical innovation and unique approach to digital privacy. The company was named an Audience Choice award winner at the Privacy, Identity and Innovation (pii2014) conference, Silicon Valley's premier event for exploring the future of privacy and identity and was selected to participate in the Startup Showcase at the 17th Annual MIT Venture Capital and Innovation Conference.

About Virtru

Virtru is the first company to make email privacy accessible to everyone. With a single plug-in, Virtru empowers individuals and businesses to control who receives, reviews, and retains their digital information -- wherever it travels, throughout its lifespan. The company has set a new standard for digital privacy based on the Trusted Data Format (TDF), created by Virtru Co-Founder Will Ackerly and used by the intelligence community to secure some of the nation's most sensitive data. Virtru requires no special skills or knowledge, supports all popular email and file types, and can be used on a PC, Mac or mobile device. To learn more about the company, visit http://www.virtru.com/ and follow @virtruprivacy on Twitter.

About SXSW Interactive

The 22nd annual SXSW Interactive Festival returns to Austin from Friday, March 13 through Tuesday, March 17. An incubator of cutting-edge technologies and digital creativity, the 2015 event features five days of compelling presentations and panels from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders and an unbeatable lineup of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and startup ideas the community has to offer. From hands-on training to bigpicture analysis of the future, SXSW Interactive has become the place to preview the technology of tomorrow today. Join us in March 2015 for the sessions, the networking, the evening events, the 18th Annual SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards, SXSW Accelerator, the SXSW Gaming Expo, the SXSW Trade Show, SXSW Create, the Digital Creative Job Market, cross-industry conversations with attendees from SXSW Film and SXSW Music, and, most of all, the unforgettable inspirational experiences that only SXSW can deliver. SXSW Interactive 2015 is sponsored by Miller Lite, Esurance, AT&T, IFC, Mazda, Monster Energy, McDonald's, Philips, Capital One, Pepsi and The Austin Chronicle.