Viber
| Viber
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|
|---|---|
|
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| Basic data
|
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| developer | Rakuten Viber |
| Publishing year | 2010 |
| Current version | 10.7 ( iOS ) May 20, 2019 9.9.1.4 ( Windows ) 9.7.5 ( macOS ) Varies |
| operating system | direct: Android , iOS , indirect: Windows , macOS , Linux |
| programming language | Java , C , Python , C ++ , Objective-C |
| category | Instant messaging , VoIP |
| License | proprietary |
| German speaking | Yes |
| viber.com/de | |
Viber is a free chat - service for smartphones and desktop computers with, by his own admission, about 900 million users in 193 countries. The program enables IP telephony and instant messaging between Viber users over the Internet. Outgoing calls to landline or mobile phone networks are also possible. In contrast to other VoIP providers such as Skype , Viber does not require a user name, but requires a telephone number and an installation on a mobile device. Unlike WhatsApp , the PC software can run without a connection to a smartphone, but needs to be activated by it beforehand.
history
The service was originally founded by four Israeli developers, the best known of which are Talmon Marco and Igor Magazinnik . At the University of Tel Aviv Marco earned a degree in computer science and management in the 1999th
In the past, the company Spirit DSP licensed switching software for the service . After their competitor Global IP Solutions was taken over by Google Inc. and their software was released as free software , Viber switched to this license-free software stack .
Viber was acquired by the Japanese company Rakuten in spring 2014 .
The technical development and customer support office is located in Minsk and Brest.
costs
The use of the Viber services when communicating with other Viber users is free of charge. Outgoing calls are chargeable (“pre-paid credit”). Call costs can be determined on the website.
privacy
Viber has been criticized for its poor data protection . Viber collects data in significant amounts, far beyond what is usual with other VoIP providers (e.g. Skype), from both users and non-users of the service. Much of this data is stored without the consent and without the knowledge of the respective data subject and thus violates EU data protection law.
Viber is keeping a low profile on details about the company. It is therefore unclear where and, if applicable, for what purpose the collected data is stored or into whose hands it will come. The new Japanese owner Rakuten promised the introduction of end-to-end encryption in April 2016 .
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Preview page for iOS. In: App Store (iOS) . Retrieved May 22, 2019 .
- ↑ Version number and release date for Windows. In: Chip Online . Retrieved December 6, 2018 .
- ↑ Version number and release date for macOS. In: Chip Online. Retrieved November 29, 2018 .
- ↑ Installation page for Android. In: Google Play . Retrieved July 26, 2017 .
- ↑ Installation page for Windows 10 (Mobile) and Windows Phone. In: Microsoft Store . Retrieved November 29, 2018 .
- ↑ Download page (also for Linux). In: viber.com. Retrieved November 29, 2018 .
- ↑ Info. In: viber.com. Retrieved July 17, 2017 .
- ↑ Free calls via UMTS or W-Lan ( memento of the original dated December 8, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Viber vs. WhatsApp: Comparison of the chat clients. In: androidpit.de. Retrieved November 15, 2019 .
- ^ Talmon Marco. In: crunchbase.com. Accessed March 26, 2019 .
- ↑ Kristina Beer: Rakuten buys VoIP app Viber. In: Heise online . February 14, 2014, accessed March 5, 2017 .
- ↑ International calls anytime, anywhere! In: viber.com. Retrieved March 5, 2017 .
- ↑ a b Franziska Bulban and Marcus Rohwetter: your numbers, please. In: The time . February 23, 2012, accessed March 5, 2017 .
- ↑ Martin Holland: Messenger Viber promises end-to-end encryption. In: Heise online. April 19, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2017 .
