Digital privacy has been a growing concern for basically everyone who uses the internet. And Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which a data firm hired by Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign accessed private information of more than 50 million Facebook users, has accelerated questions around how tech companies are working to protect consumer privacy.
Winston, a Chicago startup founded earlier this year, believes it has a solution for online privacy and data protection through its hardware device that sits in your home. Winston connects to your cable modem and wireless router and keeps you from being hacked, tracked, and makes sure all your home's connected devices are safe from online bad guys.
The idea, Winston founder Rich Stokes said, was to create a simple solution where anyone who's concerned about identify theft and surveillance could protect their online privacy without doing hours of internet research and downloading complicated software.
"It's strong enough for the NSA but simple enough for Mom," Stokes said.
The device is currently in production and will be available for purchase later this year, Stokes said. Winston will cost around $15 per month, which includes the cost of the device.
The startup has attracted a handful of early investors, raising a $1 million seed round led by Chicago's New Stack Ventures. Local investors Founder Equity, M25 and Kentucky-based Connetic Ventures also participated in the round.
Named after Winston Smith, the protagonist in George Orwell's novel 1984, Winston's anti-tracking technology encrypts your internet connection to help keep out hackers, protect from corporate and government surveillance, and even increase your internet speed by blocking ads that follow you around the web.
"Your IP adress and your physical location become cloaked," Stokes said. "Even your ISP can’t see what you’re doing."
Stokes, a former adtech entrepreneur who sold his previous startup AdGooroo to WPP in 2012, saw firsthand how much information companies can collect on individuals. With Winston, Stokes wants to help people keep their data protected and out of the hands of both marketers and internet criminals.
The startup expects its product to be available for purchase in late 2018.
