WhatApp? launches to scrutinize web and mobile apps for privacy, security, and openness

April 12, 2010 | Tags: privacy, security, openness, launch, silverstripe, sapphire

Quinn Interactive designed and developed the recently launched WhatApp?, a project of the Stanford Center for Internet & Society. WhatApp? enlists experts in law, privacy, security, and open-source software to rate and review Web and mobile apps. App developers can post notes for their apps. The public, too, can contribute anonymous comments. Those who wish to log in with a user ID can also contribute to each app's wiki, as well as signed comments.

WhatApp?’s goal is to help app users avoid computer cracking, phishing, identity theft, and spam. In addition, apps are rated on how open their source code and data formats are. Will you be able to move your data to other apps, or are you locked in?

Quinn Interactive provided the visual design and technical development for WhatApp?. The design has a bold blue-green motif with rounded corners and 45° angles. The home page prominently displays a featured app with good expert ratings and sends a low-rated app to the penalty box. The SilverStripe content management system (CMS) makes it easy for the WhatApp? editors to choose and change the featured app and penalty box. In addition, each app gets a WhatApp? badge with color-coded bar graphs displaying at a glance what the experts think about the app. See the sidebar for a sample badge for a popular social location app, Gowalla. Check the Gowalla WhatApp? page for current information.

Quinn Interactive chose the SilverStripe web application platform and CMS for the WhatApp? project because it is built upon a robust and secure CMS and application framework, known as Sapphire. Sapphire enabled Quinn Interactive to rapidly develop capabilities for WhatApp?, refining them, changing them, even replacing features based on discount usability testing.

Shortly after launch, the technology web site Slashdot mentioned WhatApp?. SilverStripe and Sapphire handled without a problem the famous “Slashdot effect,” which has caused other sites to collapse under heavy traffic.

Quinn Interactive was integral to the development of WhatApp.org. They really “got” what we were trying to do with the site, which improved the entire process. A big thanks from the WhatApp.org team!—Ryan Calo, Residential Fellow, Center for Internet and Society