Category: Press Releases

Intended for PR – used to filter out posts intended for the press

Purism’s Security Focused Librem Laptops Go Mainstream as General Availability Begins

Device maker evolves from made-to-order business model to shipping from inventory bolstered by user demand for high quality, security conscious devices

SAN FRANCISCO, June 23, 2017 – Purism, the social purpose corporation which designs and produces privacy conscious hardware and software, has announced general availability of its Librem 13 and Librem 15, laptops, demonstrating the success of its approach and growing interest in products that give users greater control over their devices.

Since it first launched as a crowdfunding project in 2015, Purism has raised more than $2.5 million through crowdfunding and seed funding, and has been experiencing 38% and 35% average monthly growth over the last 12 months for its Librem 13” and 15” laptops, respectively. To accommodate accelerating demand, the company has scaled production to hold inventory of the Librem 13” and 15”. The laptops, which originally were made-to-order and had a months-long waiting list, will now arrive in user’s hands a few weeks after purchase.

As recent headlines like Intel AMT/ME exploits and WannaCry ransomware attacks bring hardware and software security top of mind, users worldwide are realizing that security is not a guarantee and large corporations have not taken all the necessary measures to safeguard their interests. Many of the exploits and attacks arise from years-old flaws or vulnerabilities that were never fixed or updated, signaling that devices must now be designed with the future of digital privacy in mind. Purism laptops are designed to specifically meet user concern about digital privacy, chip-by-chip, line-by-line, to respect our common rights to privacy, security, and freedom.

“Our digital identity is ever more pervasive and our stake in protecting it is the highest it has ever been,” said Jennifer Stoddart, Purism Board Member and Former Privacy Commissioner of Canada. “I look forward to working with this innovative company in giving people affordable and high-quality devices to protect their personal information.”

“It’s an exciting turning point for Purism as we see our vision to create a security focused laptop that everyone can enjoy using start to resonate with the greater public. Going from made-to-order to holding inventory is proof positive that there is a growing demand for products like the Librem,” said Todd Weaver, CEO and Founder at Purism. “Users are starting to realize that security features are no longer a ‘nice to have’ but a necessity to protect their increasingly precious digital identity.”

About Purism

Purism is a Social Purpose Corporation devoted to bringing security, privacy, software freedom, and digital independence to everyone’s personal computing experience. With operations based in San Francisco (California) and around the world, Purism manufactures premium-quality laptops and tablets, creating beautiful and powerful devices meant to protect users’ digital lives without requiring a compromise on ease of use. Purism designs and assembles its hardware in the United States, carefully selecting internationally sourced components to be privacy-respecting and fully Free-Software-compliant. Security and privacy-centric features come built-in with every product Purism makes, making security and privacy the simpler, logical choice for individuals and businesses.

Media Contact

Marie Williams, Coderella / Purism
+1 415-689-4029
pr@puri.sm / purism@coderella.com
https://puri.sm/pr/

Security Researcher Trammell Hudson and Device Maker Purism Join Forces to Set a New Standard for Security-Focused Laptops

Hudson’s security firmware Heads will be built into Purism Librem hardware to further protect users from cybersecurity threats, privacy invasion, identity theft, and more.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — APRIL 12, 2017 — One of the foremost security researchers in the infosec community, Trammell Hudson, is working with secure device maker Purism to integrate his free and open-source “Heads” firmware into the company’s Librem laptop line. Purism will be the first hardware company to integrate Heads into its products, and the partnership will push the industry standard with unprecedented protection for end-user devices. Testing has already begun for the integration of the two platforms. Read more

Meet us at LibrePlanet 2017 from March 24th to March 26th

We are proud to announce that we will be attending and sponsoring the Free Software Foundation’s flagship conference, LibrePlanet, at the MIT on March 25-26th.

We will also be manning a booth there, where you can try out our Librem laptops and discuss latest advancements, including our completed port of the Librem 13 to coreboot. Come and say hi! We’ll be happy to meet old friends and new Free Software enthusiasts, veterans and newcomers, and to answer any questions attendees may have for us. We might also have a few surprises for our visitors.

Todd and Jeff will also be present in Cambridge/Boston on Friday, March 24th, for any business or press inquiries. Should you prefer to meet before the event, please get in touch with us at pr@puri.sm.

Nicole Færber joins the Purism Advisory Board

SAN FRANCISCO, October 3rd, 2016 — Purism is pleased to announce the addition of Nicole Færber to its previously announced Advisory Board. Together, the Advisory Board members bring their vision and decades of experience in cybersecurity, privacy protection, and digital freedom—to Purism’s product development, as the company continues to create products that finally address privacy and digital rights by default, rights that 86% of computer users cite as a concern.

Nicole Færber is a veteran of the embedded and mobile Free and Open Source software ecosystem. At the turn of the millennium she founded an embedded software development and consulting company; she continues helping clients succeed to this day, be it with her team of experts at Kernel Concepts and ID3P or through her own independent consulting practice. She has worked extensively on the GPE Palmtop Environment for the Compaq iPaq, on the Nokia 770 and OpenMoko projects, dealing with the software, hardware, and logistics aspect of many mobile products. Nicole’s knowledge of hardware suppliers, telecommunication and research companies, will prove highly valuable in advising Purism. Read more

Purism announces the creation of its Advisory Board

SAN FRANCISCO, August 30, 2016 — Purism is pleased to announce the creation of its Advisory Board, comprised of top-tier experts from the Free Software community: Kyle Rankin, Matthew Garrett, Aaron Grattafiori, and Stefano Zacchiroli. Together, they bring their vision—with decades of experience in cybersecurity, privacy protection, and digital freedom—to Purism’s product development, as the company continues to create products that finally address privacy and digital rights by default, rights that 86% of computer users cite as a concern.

2016-08-adboard-combined

“We are honored to partner with these industry experts I respect and have learned so much from,” said Purism CEO, Todd Weaver. “I look forward to their guidance during our tremendous growth, deepening our industry partnerships, launching new products and services, expanding into new markets, and addressing new customer needs.”

Kyle Rankin will chair the board and advise Purism in secure defaults, best practices in user security tools, privacy tools, and software choices that respect freedom. Kyle is a hardcore sysadmin and prolific author on security, privacy, GNU/Linux, free/libre and open source software, and speaks regularly on these matters.

“I’ve been following Purism since the beginning of their Librem 15 campaign and reviewed both it and the Librem 13 prototypes early on. I was so impressed with the Librem 13 prototype that I placed one of the first orders, and have been using it as my primary laptop ever since. I am very excited to help Purism challenge the existing hardware market with products that put user privacy, security, and freedom first,” said Rankin.

Matthew Garrett is advising Purism on threats to security and privacy, and on best practices to solve them with Free Software. Matthew is a technologist, programmer, Free Software activist, and is known for his major contributions to Linux, GNOME, Debian, Ubuntu, and Red Hat’s product lines. He is a board member of the Free Software Foundation (FSF), and a recipient of the Free Software Award from the FSF for his work on Secure Boot, UEFI, and the Linux kernel.

“Privacy, security and freedom require hardware that’s entirely under the owner’s control. I am honoured to be able to help guide Purism’s efforts to achieve that goal,” said Garrett.

Aaron Grattafiori is advising Purism on various matters relating to security and privacy. By day, Aaron is a Technical Director at the NCC Group which has been hacking on computers for more than a decade. Aaron’s comprehensive security whitepaper was recently touted as the “War and Peace” of Linux container security. A regular speaker at leading security conferences, Aaron maintains a lasting passion for technologies that empower users with security and freedom.

“In this day and age, it is important to use security-centric and ideally privacy-respecting software. In the post-Snowden era, users who value privacy should understand the benefits provided by free and open source software, and the overall risks by closed source software and platforms.” said Grattafiori.

Stefano Zacchiroli is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Paris Diderot University and Inria. He is a co-founder and current CTO of the Software Heritage project. Stefano has been an official developer of the Debian Project since 2001, and was elected to serve as the Debian Project Leader for three consecutive terms from 2010 to 2013. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Open Source Initiative (OSI) and is a recipient of the 2015 O’Reilly Open Source Award.

“I am excited by the possibilities that Purism and PureOS represent for defending users against current threats to their software freedom and for putting them back in control of their digital lives,” said Zacchiroli. “I look forward to help Purism navigate this complex ecosystem, continuing their promising journey to an entirely free software and hardware stack.”

 

“Our products, beliefs, and innovations are helping people protect their digital life by default,” said Todd Weaver. “This board will help us innovate even faster and fuel our immediate growth with collective thought leadership and passion.”

About Purism

Purism is a Social Purpose Corporation devoted to bringing security, privacy, software freedom, and digital independence to everyone’s personal computing experience. With operations based in San Francisco (California) and around the world, Purism manufactures premium-quality laptops and tablets, creating beautiful and powerful devices meant to protect users’ digital lives without requiring a compromise on ease of use. Purism designs and assembles its hardware in the United States, carefully selecting internationally sourced components to be privacy-respecting and fully Free-Software-compliant. Security and privacy-centric features come built-in with every product Purism makes, making security and privacy the simpler, logical choice for individuals and businesses.

Purism Partners with Qubes, Security-Focused Hardware and Software Together

Purism partners with Qubes, with the combined goal of offering Purism’s freedom-focused hardware bundled together with Qubes’ security-focused operating system

DECEMBER 8, 2015—SAN FRANCISCO, CA—In the midst of growing concerns about identity theft, Internet privacy, cybersecurity and digital rights, Purism, maker of the privacy, security, and freedom-focused Librem laptops has announced a partnership with the security-focused operating system Qubes OS, to ensure users are as protected from modern-day security threats as possible. This partnership will continue to evolve to push security for users in a positive direction within the hardware manufacturing process.

Qubes OS provides security through “compartmentalization.” If a user’s browser is compromised while visiting a website, for example, the attacker does not gain access to other information or programs on the system, such as sensitive documents, passwords, photos or personal data.

Conventional security approaches such as antivirus and malware detection programs are no longer enough to keep out sophisticated attackers. Qubes OS isolates the operating system’s components allowing for a more optimal security model than Microsoft Windows or Apple OSX can provide.

In addition, Qubes comes with Whonix-powered Tor integration, enabling the user to easily route network traffic through the Tor anonymity network. Given these features, combining Qubes with Purism Librem laptops is a natural fit–and users will benefit by being able to order Qubes OS preinstalled on the Librem 13.

“We are pleased to partner with the Purism team both in offering a certified Qubes OS laptop today, and in the future improving the functionality and security of Purism laptops to ensure that users can have the best of freedom, security and privacy in one convenient package,” said Joanna Rutkowska, well-known security researcher and founder of the Qubes OS project.

“We are ecstatic about the partnership between Purism and Qubes so we can bring together our goals of privacy, security and freedom in hardware with the best approach in software security. This union represents the ideal approach to protecting users by default, without sacrificing convenience or usability,” said Todd Weaver, CEO of Purism. “Qubes OS is a natural fit with the Purism Librem laptops in both functionality and ideology.”

The Librem: Privacy-Respecting Hardware

Purism’s goal with the Librem laptop is to offer a high-end computer with a simple, out-of-the-box, privacy-enhancing experience. The Librem laptop computer features privacy “kill switches” to physically shut off the camera, microphone and data connection, deterring data thieves, spies, cyberstalkers and hackers.

Librem 13

The new Librem 13 is now shipping. It can be ordered at https://puri.sm/product/librem-13/, for a base price of $1649 US, including Qubes OS.

Orders are shipped on a first-come, first-served basis in the order they were received. There is an additional shipping charge of $80 for orders outside the USA.

CrowdSupply will accept all forms of international currency including Bitcoin.

About Qubes OS

Qubes OS is a security-oriented free and open source operating system for personal computers. Recognizing there can be no perfect, bug-free computing environment, Qubes aims instead to secure typical workflows through controlled interaction and minimize the attack surface for adversaries through compartmentalization.

Its architecture is built to enable a user to define different security environments or “domains” on their computer based on their threat model and manage their interaction with each other. This allows the user to control the level of access an application has to other information, protecting confidential work both from compromise and from exfiltration.

It can run Debian, Fedora, Whonix, and even Windows-based applications within this environment. For more information, visit: https://www.qubes-os.org

About Purism

Purism’s goal is to manufacture secure, freedom, and privacy-respecting computers. Leading the way in protecting your digital life by making security and privacy simpler and easier-to-use by default. Purism is devoted to providing the highest quality hardware available, with the goal that the user’s data is kept private and is secure from hacking, malware, spyware, identity theft and other threats that cannot be prevented with antivirus or malware detection alone. Purism is based in San Francisco, California, and its products are assembled in the United States from components manufactured and sourced internationally. Privately held and privately funded, Purism has raised nearly $842,000 to date solely with crowd funding, making the Librem laptops one of the top three most successful crowd funded PC hardware projects in history, according to ZDNet, and the #1 crowd funded hardware project on Crowd Supply.

Press Contact

Jeff Fortin
PR@puri.sm
https://puri.sm

Michael Carbone
michael@invisiblethingslab.com
https://qubes-os.org

Purism Ships Librem 13, First Privacy-respecting Notebook Computer

The Librem is a high-end 13″ notebook computer designed specifically for security and privacy; includes hardware “kill switch” to physically sever connection to camera and microphone, hardware optimized for GNU/Linux-based operating system. Unveiled today at GetGeeked press and gadget/PC enthusiast event in New York

New York, NY (PRWEB) — October 15, 2015 — In the midst of international concerns about identity theft, Internet privacy, security and digital rights, Purism today shipped the Librem 13, the first high-end privacy- and freedom-respecting notebook personal computer.

The Librem 13 introduces many innovative security features not offered in any other PC on the market today, including a privacy “kill switch” to physically shut off the circuit to the camera and microphone to deter hackers, stalkers and identity thieves. The Librem computers ship with with PureOS, a preinstalled, consumer-friendly, GNU/Linux-based operating system. All Librem laptops will also run any GNU/Linux operating system, seamlessly.

The 13” Librem 13 notebook will be unveiled today at GetGeeked, a press and early adopter customer event in New York City and will begin shipping to customers. Members of the media can attend at 5 pm EST by registering at http://getgeeked.tv/press-rsvp/

“Conventional computers have spyware – also called “mystery code” – preinstalled throughout the kernel and operating system, software and even in the hardware. These spyware programs leave the user extremely vulnerable to the kinds of security attacks we’ve been seeing on a growing basis. The Librem laptops do not have this ‘mystery code’ in the kernel, operating system, nor software,” said Purism CEO Todd Weaver.

Built chip by chip, app by app, for privacy and security

The goal of the Librem is to offer a simple, out of the box, privacy-enhancing computing experience, with the best privacy and rights-protecting free/libre and open source software preinstalled.

The Librem has an anodized aluminum case, combining the benefits of the MacBook Air and high-end Lenovo laptops. Librem laptops come with privacy kill switches to sever the hardware circuit to the camera, microphone, Bluetooth and WiFi, deterring data thieves, snoops and hackers. Additionally, the Librem runs on a custom-compiled Linux kernel.

Unlike most other computers on the market today, the Librem’s hardware, operating system and applications do not “phone home” and never send data back to the parent company. “Backdoors,” spyware, binary blobs and other vulnerabilities in the kernel, operating system and applications have been completely removed.

The following privacy-enhancing software comes preinstalled on Librem laptops:

  • PureOS Operating system — Purism’s custom-built GNU/Linux based operating system with a clean user interface, offers easy access to applications, documents, and media.
  • LibreOffice office suite — A preinstalled office suite is file-compatible with Microsoft Windows Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Access, Visio, and Outlook, as well as Apple files. LibreOffice protects your freedom and privacy, is completely free/libre and open source, and never sends data to the parent company.
  • PureBrowser – PureBrowser is a Firefox-based browser specifically designed to ensure privacy and security.
  • Tor Browser — Tor Browser is an anonymizing browser that uses encryption and anonymous routing to protect users’ rights.
  • EFF Privacy Badger — The EFF Privacy Badger is a PureBrowser plug in which blocks spying ads and invisible trackers.
  • HTTPS Everywhere — HTTPS Everywhere is a PureBrowser extension that encrypts communications with many major websites, making browsing more secure.

Librem 13 hardware features:

  • The following privacy-enhancing hardware features come with the Librem laptops:
  • Hardware kill switches – Physical toggle switches shut off the camera and microphone to disable remote access.
  • Pop-down 1 Gigabyte RJ45 Internet jack
  • Purism Key — The Purism key on the Librem 13 is a powerful key for searching all files and applications.
  • Easily upgradable — The user can unscrew the back of the LIbrem easily with a standard Phillips-head screwdriver to expand and add additional RAM or storage.
  • No visible logo – By request from backers, the Librem 13 laptop has no visible logo.

Other Librem 13 features include:

  • Slim, solid aluminum case with dark gray anodized finish.
  • Extra-strong, reinforced hinges.
  • Large, multi-touch trackpad.
  • Glare-proof, matte 13” display screen.
  • 5th Generation, 2.2 gz Intel Processor.
  • 4 GB memory, expandable to 16 GB.
  • M.2 (NGFF) PCIE SSD.

CROWD FUNDING ENABLES RAPID DEVELOPMENT

The Librem 13 was funded using a crowdfunding website, Crowd Supply, and designed and developed in less than 5 months. The Librem 13 crowdfunding campaign was initially announced June 21, 2015 and reached its $250,000 funding goal on September 17, 2015. The Librem 13 laptops begin shipping to the first batch of funders on October 15, 2015.

“Crowdfunding enables us to determine market demand and conduct rapid development with feedback from our backers. This way, we create a product that the market actually wants — rather than the historic approach of speculating about market demand,” says Weaver.

The Librem laptops were specifically designed to optimally run GNU/Linux with free/libre and open source software. The final assembly and shipping of the Librem laptops is completed in the USA in a secure facility in South San Francisco, California.

SHIPPING AND ORDERING INFORMATION

Librem 13: The new Librem 13 ships beginning October 15, 2015. It can still be preordered at crowdsupply.com/purism/librem-13, for a base price of $1699 US.

LIbrem 15: The Librem 15 rev2 begins shipping November 2015 and can be preordered for a base price of $1899 US at crowdsupply.com/purism

Orders are shipped on a first-come, first-served basis in the order they were received.

CrowdSupply will accept all forms of International currency including Bitcoin. Currently about 50% of Librem backers are from outside the USA, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Russia, Italy, Brazil, Sweden, Denmark, China, Singapore and Japan.

About Purism

Purism follows a strict belief in users’ rights to privacy, security, and freedom. We believe users should have access to the highest quality computers without compromising these beliefs.

The founder and CEO of Purism, Todd Weaver, created Purism to combine the philosophies of the free/libre and open source software movement with the hardware manufacturing process. Purism is devoted to providing the highest quality hardware available, ensuring the rights of security, privacy, and freedom for all users.

Purism is based in San Francisco, California, and its products are assembled in the United States from components sourced internationally. Privately held and privately funded, Purism has raised over $816,000 to date solely with crowd funding for the Librem 13 and 15, making the Librem laptops one of the top three most successful crowd funded PC hardware projects in history, according to ZDNet, and the #1 crowd funded Open Source hardware project on Crowd Suppy.

About Crowd Supply

Crowd Supply is a launchpad for open hardware, hackables and high end goods that embrace the principles of open design. It empowers product creators to bring their ideas to life with the tools and services they need the most, from strategy and crowdfunding, to ongoing sales and product fulfillment. It is the only platform of its kind to be endorsed by the Free Software Foundation for respecting the privacy and freedom of its users, and the only crowdfunding platform where every funded product has successfully been made and delivered to backers.

Notable product launches include the open Novena laptop by bunnie & xobs, Purism’s Librem laptop, and Circuit Stickers by Chibitronics. Crowd Supply is based in Portland, OR, and was founded by a team of product engineers from MIT Media Lab. To shop or launch a product of your own, visit http://www.crowdsupply.com.

Purism Librem Privacy-Respecting Computers Raise $797,000 to Date, Now Among Top 3 Crowdfunded PCs in History

Librem Privacy-Respecting Linux-Based Laptop Reaches 318% of Funding Goal, Now Among Top 3 Crowdfunded PCs in History According to ZDNet. Purism’s Librem 13 Linux-Based Notebook Meets 107% of Funding Goal on Crowd Supply, and Librem 15 Laptop Raises 210% — Shipment to Backers Expected Starting October 5.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) — September 24, 2015 — The privacy-respecting Librem 13 and Librem 15 laptops have surpassed past their initial crowdfunding goals, on the Open Source crowd funding site, Crowd Supply. Together, the two Librem computers raised more than $797,000 to date. Librem is now the #1 project on Crowd Supply, and among the top three crowd funded PC hardware projects in history, according to ZDNet.

The goal of the Librem is to offer a simple, out of the box, privacy-enhancing LInux kernel-based computing experience for consumers.

The Librem personal computers aim to eliminate vulnerabilities and “backdoors” in the hardware, chip firmware, operating system and applications. Purism’s engineering team is also working diligently to build a “free” and open source BIOS, the last remaining hurdle to a 100% freedom-respecting computer.

Crowd Supply is a launchpad for new open hardware projects. It offers crowdfunding, strategy, e-commerce and product fulfillment services to product creators, and was recently endorsed by Dr. Richard Stallman as the crowdfunding platform of choice for adhering to the organization’s Free Javascript Campaign, and for respecting users’ and backers’ freedoms.

The Librem is the world’s first high-end computer designed chip-by-chip, from the motherboard to the screen, to specifically protect a users’ security, while respecting their digital rights. PureOS, the Librem’s operating system, is a simple, consumer-friendly derivative of the Debian Linux distribution, will ship with the laptops in October and is available to all as a free download.

The Librem’s hardware is carefully selected to run using a custom-compiled Linux kernel without “mystery software” or “binary blobs” ensuring that there are no backdoors in the kernel or operating system.

Crowd funding enables rapid market demand evaluation and development:

“Crowd funding has allowed us to determine market demand, and conduct rapid development with our backers, to create a product that the market actually wants — rather than the historic approach of speculating,” says Purism CEO Todd Weaver.

The ease of hardware prototyping, combined with the power of crowd funding, enables an emerging company like Purism to create a computer that is equivalent — and in many ways superior — to other high-end laptops on the market today.

The Librem looks similar to a MacBook Air, and introduces some innovative features not found in any other laptop on the market today, including a Privacy “Kill Switch” that shuts the data connection to the camera and microphone to deter hackers or information thieves.

“In years past, getting hardware product to market required tremendous investment, with minimum order quantities in the hundreds of thousands, and the product wasn’t vetted until they all sat on a Best Buy shelf. Crowd funding enables product-market-fit experimentation in a category that has historically been deprived of it,’ Weaver added. ‘We have been iterating the design and specs for the Librem on a rapid cycle — with some of our most significant features like the Hardware Kill Switch, backlit keyboard and CPU fusing for security and privacy, coming directly from requests made by our backers.”

On January 21, 2015 the company achieved its first $250,000 goal for the Librem 15, and in June launched Librem 13, a smaller, lighter, 13” version.

The Librem 13 has a slender, anodized aluminum case similar to a MacBook Air, and comes with optional privacy “kill switches” to shut off the camera, microphone, Bluetooth and WiFi, deterring data thieves, snoops and hackers.

Shipping and ordering information

Librem 13: The new Librem 13 with privacy kill switch will ship beginning October 5, 2015. It can still be preordered at crowdsupply.com/purism/librem-13, for a base price of $1699 US.

LIbrem 15: Librem 15-inch ver2 will begin shipping October 15, 2015 and can be preordered for a base price of $1899 US, at crowdsupply.com/purism.

CrowdSupply will accept all forms of International currency including Bitcoin. Currently about 50% of backers are from outside the USA, including Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Russia, Italy, Brazil, Sweden, Denmark and Asia.

About Purism

Purism follows a strict belief in your rights to freedom, privacy, and control of your computing. We believe users should have access to the highest quality computers without compromising these beliefs.

The founder and CEO of Purism, Todd Weaver, created Purism to marry the philosophies of the free/libre and open source software movement with the hardware manufacturing process. Purism is devoted, at its heart and soul, to providing the highest quality hardware available, that ensures the rights of security, privacy, and freedom for all users.

Purism is based in San Francisco, California and its products are assembled locally in the United States from components sourced internationally. Privately held and privately funded, Purism has raised more than $798,000 to date—solely with crowd funding—making the Librem laptops one of the three most successful crowd funded PC hardware projects in history, according to ZDNet, and the #1 crowd funded Open Source hardware project on Crowd Supply.

Purism Unveils the First Computer Built to Respect and Protect Digital Privacy

World’s first notebook computer with “privacy switches” — ensuring the camera, microphone, wireless, and Bluetooth data connections are completely turned off. Every hardware feature and software application specifically selected to respect and protect your privacy, security and freedom.

New York, New York — June 18, 2015 — Answering the public’s need for a high-end computer built from the ground up respecting users’ digital privacy, security, and freedom, Purism, Inc., a San Francisco-based hardware maker, today will release the Librem 13 — the world’s first notebook computer with every feature and application designed specifically for security and privacy.

The private notebook computer will be revealed on June 18th, 2015, at 6 pm EST at the Digital Experience, a press-only event in New York City at the Metropolitan Pavilion. The Librem 13 can be preordered starting today on Crowd Supply at crowdsupply.com/purism/librem-13/ The “earliest bird” price is $1,449.

This sleek 13.3” laptop has features never before seen in computing—hardware “privacy switches” to turn off the camera, microphone, WiFi, and Bluetooth, to prevent hackers, snoops, stalkers or data thieves from compromising your privacy.

Innovative slider toggle switches, placed near the Librem’s hinge, ensure that the electrical circuits for Bluetooth, wireless, camera and microphone are physically severed. The hardware “kill switches” prevent digital adversaries from eavesdropping using the microphone or accessing the camera remotely. The switches also as sever the radio and networked connections, removing the possibility of remote access.

THE FIRST CONSUMER-FRIENDLY PRIVACY LAPTOP

The Librem is built chip-by-chip and line-by-line to respect privacy and protect security. Consumer friendly, it is private from the moment you turn it on — there are no additional software applications, downloads or accessories needed.

Unlike ordinary computers, with the Librem, there are no “backdoors” or “mystery code” in the hardware, kernel, operating system or software. These vulnerabilities, present in other computers, enable a hacker or intruder to steal data.

“With massive data breaches of users’ private financial information happening almost daily, we cannot afford to trust our most personal data to ordinary computers anymore. This is why we created the Librem, the first truly private personal computer, to protect and respect users’ rights to privacy, security and freedom,” says Purism CEO Todd Weaver.

The Librem 13 is endorsed by notable security and privacy experts, including Jacob Appelbaum, who joined the company this week as a technical advisor. Appelbaum will be analyzing security threats, communicating trends, and championing needs for users. Appelbaum, who was a core developer of Tor, an anonymous browsing protocol, is an internationally-recognized privacy crusader.

THREATS THE LIBREM COULD PREVENT

The following examples of data theft and security breaches from the past year illustrate potential security threats Librem computers can prevent:

  • Corporate data exploitation: “Superfish” pre-installed man-in-the-middle malware, where all secure communications were intercepted, including user’s bank login credentials.
  • Social media data theft: Over 2 million Facebook, Gmail, and Twitter accounts were intercepted from keylogger malware.
  • Spying and stalking: There have been numerous reports of stalkers remotely activating user’s microphone, webcam, or recording VoIP services, such as Skype calls.
  • Backdoors: “Backdoors” (or proprietary code for which no security experts can verify the source code) are built into competitor’s software and operating systems.
  • Data-mining: Third-party trackers and ad trackers gather personal information about users’ browsing habits, often selling the information.
  • Ransomware: Malware such as CryptoLocker and CryptoWall encrypt the users’ drives, forcing them to pay for a decryption key to retrieve their data.

Antivirus applications do not prevent these threats. While these examples are recent, there may be more threats in the future that could be prevented using a Librem private computer.

SECURE HARDWARE WITH “PRIVACY SWITCHES”

Hardware switches, cleverly located on the Librem 13 laptop’s hinge cover, enable a user to completely turn off the camera, microphone, Bluetooth, and wireless ensuring total privacy.

On ordinary computers, these features are turned off with software. Therefore, an adversary can remotely turn on these software features enabling remote access to a users’ microphone and camera. On the Librem 13, however, the user simply toggles one or both of the hardware “kill switches,” severing the electrical circuit, rendering the laptop truly off the grid.

Highlights include:

  • Ultra-thin aluminum case with stylish dark anodized finish
  • Intel 5th Generation CPU
  • Up to 16GB of Memory
  • Matte screen display
  • Large multitouch trackpad
  • Sturdy reinforced metal hinge
  • Hardware “Privacy Switches” to turn off camera, microphone, wireless, and Bluetooth
  • Wired networking, with a pop-down RJ45 network jack
  • “Purism Key” for one touch search of all documents

PURISM’S CUSTOM OPERATING SYSTEM, PureOS, PROVIDES SECURE SOFTWARE

Purism’s own PureOS is a secure, consumer-friendly GNU/Linux-based operating system built using entirely free/Libre and open source software. PureOS ships with hundreds of free software applications, all respecting users’ rights to privacy, security, and freedom.

PureOS also pre-installs LibreOffice, a Free/Libre and Open Source (FLOSS) office suite, including spreadsheet, word processor, and drawing programs. These programs are file format compatible with Microsoft Office, ensuring users will work productively with office files from Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, as well as Adobe PDF files.

PureBrowser is provided within PureOS. A completely secure and private web browser, based on the Firefox browser, it includes the private Tor browser.

NO “MYSTERY CODE”

The Librem 13 ships without “mystery code” or proprietary software of any kind, offering users complete transparency into the source code and control over all software.

All other conventional computers today ship with proprietary software pre-installed. This “mystery code” creates a vulnerability that adversaries, data thieves and criminals can exploit to access your data.

SPECIFICATIONS

For complete software and hardware specifications for the Librem 13, visit the Purism products page.

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

The Librem 13 can be pre-ordered on https://www.crowdsupply.com/purism/librem-13/ starting at $1649. The optional hardware kill switch feature is an additional $89. The computer will ship to backers in September 2015.

The first Librem 15 unit, assembled at Purism’s facility in South San Francisco, CA, was shipped to early backers on June 5, 2015, the same week as bulk data collection programs—already having been declared illegal by Federal district courts—were disavowed by the US Congress. The Librem 15 rev2 will begin shipping in July 2015.

Launched in December 2014, the Librem 15 computer was endorsed by Linux and Open Source press, as well as privacy experts, raising $470,000 and exceeded the funding goal on CrowdSupply, an open source crowd funding site.

About Purism

Purism follows a strict belief in users’ rights to privacy, security, and freedom. We believe users should have access to the highest quality computers without compromising these beliefs.

The founder and CEO of Purism, Todd Weaver, created Purism to combine the philosophies of the free/libre and open source software movement with the hardware manufacturing process. Purism is devoted to providing the highest quality hardware available, ensuring the rights of security, privacy, and freedom for all users.

Purism is based in San Francisco and its products are assembled locally in the United States from components sourced internationally. Privately held and privately funded, Purism has raised $470,000 to date, solely with crowd funding.