Delivery of email sent to Cloaked Email addresses will stop at 8am PST on May 5th, 2015.

Some Background
When it launched, we built Cloaked Email primarily as a way to offer greater privacy in performing Craigslist transactions. The service was so successful that Craigslist released an “email privacy gateway” only months after Cloaked Email’s debut. We believe Cloaked Email pushed Craigslist to take user privacy more seriously.

Many people, including our team continue to use Cloaked Email to offer a layer of privacy between themselves and websites and services across the internet. We recognize it is a valuable service for some people today.

Gliph has evolved from simply providing general privacy tools to offering privacy around performing transactions. With the release of Gliph Marketplace and Deal Flow, we’ve removed email completely from negotiating P2P deals without sacrificing privacy.

To allow our team to focus on the future, we’re ending support for Cloaked Email.

How to Migrate Away from Cloaked Email

1. Visit the email account you use in conjunction with Cloaked Email.
2. Search your email for “cloak.gli.ph”
3. Note the individuals or services you’ve received email from using a cloak.
4. Log into the service you’ve used Cloaked Email with and change your email address to a new one.

Alternatives to Cloaked Email
Create Privacy Email Address on a Free Email Provider
Create a new Gmail address and use it exclusively for sites you don’t want to know your real name or your primary inbox. Hook this up to your “All” inbox on your smartphone for conveneint reception.

Use Abine’s “Masking” tool 
Abine is a company entirely focused on providing privacy around email and other forms data. They support a product very similar to Cloaked Email.

Gliph Verified Identities allow the Gliph staff to specifically call out notable people using Gliph to certify their authenticity.

The first verified identity is Justin Roiland, co-creator of Rick and Morty on Adult Swim.

We are happy to review requests for identity validation, particularly if you’re participating in Gliph by joining groups or Gliph Marketplace.

Today marks an important expansion of Gliph with the release of Gliph Marketplace: a new way to buy and sell locally using cash and the Bitcoin digital currency.

Our team has brought together secure messaging, transaction workflow and digital payments into an awesome new P2P transaction experience we call Deal Flow.

• Deal Flow helps you stay focused on completing a deal by integrating messaging and useful push notifications into the buying and selling experience. Gliph Marketplace has privacy built-in eliminating the distraction of “burner” phone numbers and “email gateways.”
• Deal Flow saves you time with intuitive listing status updates. For example, when someone is ready to buy something from you, the status moves from “Q&A” to “Offer Submitted.” Deal status updates ensure you have the most recent information so you can make the best decision with your time.
• Deal Flow earns you money faster by making digital payments an integrated part of the Gliph Marketplace experience. Once you’ve accepted an offer, paying for the item using Bitcoin is handled in a single tap.

You can view a complete video demo of Gliph Marketplace and Deal Flow here:

Gliph Marketplace Deal Flow on Android

Initial Release
Gliph Marketplace and Deal Flow are initially available on Gliph’s Android and mobile web applications. Desktop Web and iPhone versions are coming soon.

While waiting for the iOS update, iPhone users may visit https://gli.ph/m in mobile Safari to start using Gliph marketplace now.

Items available in Gliph Marketplace (like this Playstation 4) may be viewed on the Desktop Web right now.

Becoming a Seller in Gliph Marketplace
At the onset of Gliph Marketplace, our team is personally interviewing and approving every seller on the platform. You can apply to become a seller using this form.

We’re also reviewing each new listing prior to publishing in Gliph Marketplace because:

1. We want to make improvements on Gliph Marketplace as quickly as possible. We can gather feedback and respond to it faster by limiting how many sellers are using the system at first.
2. Gliph Marketplace is not a dark market. It is intended to be well-lit and safe place to buy and sell stuff. Especially at the beginning, we want to make sure people’s first experiences are good ones.

One of the results of this will limit the selection of items available in the Marketplace at first. So if you don’t see something you like nearby please be patient. :)

We are planning to approve new sellers regularly.  At first, we are focused on people in the San Francisco, New York City and Portland, Oregon regions. However, we’re looking for people who are knowledgeable about Bitcoin and are happy to accept it as an alternative to cash so please apply regardless of your location. We encourage you to apply.

Conclusion
We are very excited to be bringing this product to market today. It represents a culmination of creative ideas, privacy, technology and embrace of Bitcoin that our entire team is proud of.

We acknowledge we have a lot left to do and over the coming weeks we will be working hard to bring the remaining clients online, add or improve features and find and fix issues. Thank you for your support and feedback! Hit us up at username ‘support’ or at our support email address support at gli.ph.

Since some of the most positive aspects of decentralization are obvious to Bitcoin users, we wanted to address why Gliph Marketplace, though Bitcoin-enabled, is not decentralized:

1. We believe Gliph Marketplace is needed now. In the United States, peer-to-peer transactions are dominated by a single organization. Building something that can transcend the current paradigm means first focusing on the user experience, not on the challenging technical underpinnings of a well-performing decentralized system.
2. We believe there is already a good effort to build a decentralized marketplace at Open Bazaar. A community already exists to support the Open Bazaar project, and we believe there are good reasons for it to exist.
3. We believe Gliph Marketplace serves a missed community of people who are looking for a well-lit marketplace that seamlessly integrates Bitcoin for payments. This community has just as much potential to grow as Dark Markets have shown for illegal items.

How and When will Decentralization Come to Gliph?
In the expanse of time, we believe many services will benefit from being decentralized. One particular area we’re keeping an eye on is the concept of decentralized identity.

Decentralized identity would mean that information about the users in a system would no longer be stored at Gliph exclusively, but rather an open environment that any company or service can use. One Name is an example of an early effort to build out a decentralized identity service.

In the future, we may look to allow our users to migrate their identities and accumulated reputation to a decentralized identity service.

Open Dialog
We intend to keep an open dialog with Gliph’s users and the greater cryptocurrency community about the evolution of the Gliph Platform and opportunities for decentralization. You can send us your thoughts and comments to support at gli.ph.

Profile Pages make it easier to communicate and transact on Gliph using simple Send Message and Send Bitcoin buttons.

Gliph’s recently unveiled Desktop Web version makes Profile Pages accessible on the web.

For example, if you chose Tony for your Gliph Username, your profile page may then be found at https://gli.ph/tony.

Privacy Considerations
Existing Gliph users will need to opt-in to turn on their Profile Page. To opt-in with an existing Gliph account follow the steps in the Gliph’s New Usernames blog entry. These steps are:

1. Sign in to Gliph on the web or open the app on your smartphone.
2. Visit either the Profile or Edit Profile page and click or tap Set Gliph Username

If you’re new to Gliph, you will be required to choose a new Gliph Username during sign-up which automatically creates your Profile Page. However, you may still choose to keep all their personal Facet information private.

The Anatomy of a Gliph Profile Page
Profile Pages can be shaped to reflect your unique identity. Currently, you can display your Gliph Profile Photo facet, along with any of your other Facets you want to make Public.

When someone you’re connected to visits your Profile Page, they will see a combination of the private information you previously shared along with any information you’ve set to public. They will also be able to see a list of any Gliph Group Messaging groups you are both in together.

When someone you are not connected to views your Profile Page they will only be able to see information you’ve set to public. The same is true with someone you are connected to on Gliph, unless you specifically chose to share personal information with that connection.

First Steps
We believe Profile Pages make Gliph a more useful and practical service for communicating and transacting with Gliph users. We look forward to your feedback on this initial version and continuing to improve it as the Gliph platform continues to advance.

As always, you can give feedback to the Support Gliph, which you may now access in the app or by visiting its Public Page at https://gli.ph/support and clicking “Send Message.” :D

This new username may be set by signing in and editing your account profile on the Gliph iPhone, Android and web applications.

You can use your new Gliph username to be found on Gliph via username search or by accessing a Profile Page webpage. Gliph Profile Pages are a new feature on Gliph and covered in this blog entry.

Privacy
Gliph is committed to providing a private communication experience. If you already have a Gliph account and a Gliph Legacy username, you may continue to use Gliph without choosing a new Gliph username.

If you do not pick a Gliph username, you will not be found using the username search function and you will not have a Profile Page webpage.

If you do pick a Gliph username, your public Facet information will be available on your Profile Page.

To ensure you’re sharing what you want, we recommend you review your Profile and privacy settings on your personal information before setting your username. 

Username Selection Details
If you’re thinking about what your new Gliph username will be, here are some details to keep in mind:

• Gliph usernames may be anywhere between 3 and 16 characters long.
• They may contain letters, numbers and the underscore character.
• Usernames are first-come, first serve and are may only be used once.
• Once selected, you can not change your username.
• Your new Gliph username will automatically set your your Profile Page URL to https://gli.ph/[username].

And some additional tips for success:

• Gliph usernames are not case-sensitive at entry, but they will display the CaSe Style YoU choose.
• Shorter usernames will be easier to remember and share with friends or associates.
• Gliph is a burgeoning community that relies on trust. Please do not choose usernames intended to deceive, intimidate or threaten other people.

Why the Change?
As regular users of Gliph ourselves, we have found the Gliph Legacy usernames have not become easier to use over time. Though stylistically unique, Gliph Legacy usernames got in the way of the experience in a few ways.

First, people from the Gliph community told us they like the service but find it too hard to connect with other people. A basic function is being able to look up another person in the system and the symbols added friction to that process.

Sometimes when the symbol-usernames were shown in a public group conversation, it was challenging to track who was who. An emerging problem with Gliph Legacy usernames is that they don’t store well in password management tools like 1Password.

The symbol-based usernames were a daring and interesting way to stand out for a company championing privacy and security before people were paying attention to these things.

Privacy and security are still top priorities with us, but Gliph is bigger than those two things. Gliph now helps people connect and transact with each other using Bitcoin. We want the focus here, not on a novel username system.

Moving to alphanumeric usernames simplifies the Gliph platform without sacrificing pseudonymity. You don’t have to remember the symbols that your friend chose or find them on our symbol keyboard. You just need to know their unique written username and type it in.

Supporting Legacy Gliph Usernames
All existing Legacy Gliph usernames will still be supported. You will still be able to search for them and create a 1-on-1 connection or to add them to Group. However, the default search will be to the new alphanumeric Gliph username system.

Fond Farewell
We want to thank everyone who customized their Gliph Legacy username and those who took the time to explain the system to other people.

When we shared this change with friends and family in the Gliph community, there was a combined expression of sadness and also relief. Many of Gliph’s biggest fans memorized and cherished their Legacy username. Some of Gliph’s initial backers took particular interest in the uniqueness of our Legacy username system.

Sadness quickly became nostalgic, though, as folks acknowledged a simpler username system would be to the benefit of all Gliph users in time.  What we lose from leaving behind Gliph Legacy usernames, our team will work to add practical, useful and fun features to take their place.

Bitcoin has been Returned to the Gliph iOS Application
We’ve just released version 1.90 of the Gliph app, which was approved by Apple for the App Store late this last week. The release restores the ability to send Bitcoin between Gliph users, and adds the new capability of paying outside the Gliph network using QR codes.

New Desktop Web Application Now Available
Gliph now supports all modern web browsers with a brand new desktop web application. Whether you’re on a tablet, laptop or desktop computer you can now take advantage of everything Gliph has to offer.

Revamped Android Application
We’ve completely rebooted our Android application and it now stands in near-parity with our iOS application. We’re particularly pleased to bring this long awaited update to the Android platform.

The update includes a refreshed look, Secure Group Messaging support, Profile photos and a brand new QR code scanner. You can now use Gliph on Android to spend Bitcoin from your Coinbase or Blockchain wallet outside the Gliph network.

Introducing Secure Group Messaging
Gliph now supports secure group messaging across all of its existing clients and its new Desktop Web application. Group messaging offers the same data impermanence technology as Gliph’s existing 1-to-1 conversations.

Privacy Policy Update
With all of these product updates, we also took the time to make the first update to Gliph’s Privacy Policy since we first got started. Our entire team stands behind this policy, and it served as the basis for many of the features that Gliph continues to offer.

We improved the Privacy Policy by focusing on its readibility and clarifying language on how we handle personal data. We have a blog that explains every change in great detail, and encourage everyone to have a look.

We’re excited about improving peer-to-peer transactions and providing a great platform for identity. In following this passion, we’ve iterated on Gliph by adding new features and changing the way the system works.

Some of the additions were in response to insights along the way. For example when we learned that  the majority of Craigslist deals were handled via email and lacked privacy, we built Cloaked Email to make that a better experience. Later, we realized Bitcoin would be a a fantastic way to close transactions and built in simple Bitcoin transfer into Gliph secure messaging.

We’ve learned a lot about email and believe communication can be faster and better than that. GliphMe‘s secure and private instant channel is the first of our efforts here.

Adding these capabilities over time caused a build-up of technical debt. And like any debt, it can not be ignored. But unlike some debt, it wasn’t the type of thing that could be paid off slowly over time. As a result, this re-factor was focused on two areas of the Gliph platform:

the backend application and the iOS application. On the backend, we re-worked the API which now allows us to build the Android, iPhone and web clients more consistently. On the iPhone client, we’ve changed how data flows internally. To get very specific, we’ve moved to reactive programming, making Gliph more event-driven and providing us a more responsive user experience to work with.

Because you can only make so many major changes at once, we did not focus on updating the Android app to leverage the new API during this project. However, now that the backend is completed, documented and working, we will be tackling this as well. We’ll announce the release of the iOS app as soon as it has been approved.

This release will have few outward facing changes on the web, Android or iPhone. However, it did involve a great deal of effort from our team and has set the Gliph platform for a solid march forward.

Please join me in congratulating the Gliph engineering group on completing this challenging and important development cycle. Say hello on Twitter.

The entry was published in the official MongoDB MMS Blog and focuses on how MongoDB Management Service (MMS) can help track system stats and handle unexpected loads.

Here’s a paragraph from the entry:

“A service like Gliph has fairly complicated components, including user data encryption, messaging with scheduled delivery and expiry, integration with major wallet providers (each with their own API), among many other pieces. We’re a small team adding features quickly, and iterating is easiest when your system is stable. But our system wasn’t always as robust as it is today!”

Read the complete writeup at the MMS Blog

We want Gliph to be the best way to connect and transact no matter where you live. That’s why today we’re announcing support for the Copenhagen-based BIPS Bitcoin Wallet.

BIPS is well-known for its free Bitcoin merchant solutions, but it also offers a solid Bitcoin web-wallet for individuals.

BIPS’ Bitcoin wallet supports a variety of international options for funding your wallet including direct deposits from banks in Canada and Denmark. When you need to sell Bitcoin, BIPS lets you convert Bitcoin into an impressive 45 different fiat currencies:

Supported Fiat Currencies on BIPS

If you’re checking out Bitcoin for the first time, you can now use Gliph’s Instant Wallet Creation to get started with a wallet on BIPS. If you already have a Bitcoin wallet on BIPS, you can attach it to your Gliph account with a simple sign-in process.

No matter what Bitcoin Wallet provider you use on Gliph, you get the convenience of easily sending Bitcoin with other people using Gliph’s unique chat-based Bitcoin transfer system on iOS, Android and the Mobile Web.

We’ve had our eye on stronger international support in Gliph for some time, and are pleased extend Gliph’s Bitcoin support to BIPS’ userbase and its popularity in Europe. In July, we added a server in Ireland, so everyone in Europe should have a faster experience with Gliph overall too.

Our team has been planning to add multi-wallet since we first released Gliph with Bitcoin at the Bitcoin 2013 conference. We have some exciting ideas for deeper integration of Bitcoin into Gliph’s platform in the future and hope you start enjoying easier transactions with people across the globe today! 

In case you missed the links, you can learn about Bitcoin here, or try out Bitcoin via a BIPS wallet now on the Gliph for iPhone, Android or the Web. 

Update: Our cooperative press release with BIPS is now available here.