<s>
Bitmessage	B-Application
is	O
a	O
decentralized	O
,	O
encrypted	O
,	O
peer-to-peer	O
,	O
trustless	O
communications	O
protocol	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
by	O
one	O
person	O
to	O
send	O
encrypted	O
messages	O
to	O
another	O
person	O
,	O
or	O
to	O
multiple	O
subscribers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bitmessage	B-Application
was	O
conceived	O
by	O
software	O
developer	O
Jonathan	O
Warren	O
,	O
who	O
based	O
its	O
design	O
on	O
the	O
decentralized	O
digital	O
currency	O
,	O
Bitcoin	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
software	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
November	O
2012	O
under	O
the	B-License
MIT	I-License
license	I-License
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bitmessage	B-Application
gained	O
a	O
reputation	O
for	O
being	O
out	O
of	O
reach	O
of	O
warrantless	O
wiretapping	O
conducted	O
by	O
the	O
National	O
Security	O
Agency	O
(	O
NSA	O
)	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
decentralized	O
nature	O
of	O
the	O
protocol	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
encryption	O
being	O
difficult	O
to	O
crack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
downloads	O
of	O
the	O
Bitmessage	B-Application
program	O
increased	O
fivefold	O
during	O
June	O
2013	O
,	O
after	O
news	O
broke	O
of	O
classified	O
email	O
surveillance	O
activities	O
conducted	O
by	O
the	O
NSA	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bitmessage	B-Application
has	O
also	O
been	O
mentioned	O
as	O
an	O
experimental	O
alternative	O
to	O
email	O
by	O
Popular	O
Science	O
and	O
CNET	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
ransomware	O
programs	O
instruct	O
affected	O
users	O
to	O
use	O
Bitmessage	B-Application
to	O
communicate	O
with	O
the	O
attackers	O
.	O
</s>
