Meet Codemoji: Mozilla’s New Game for Teaching Encryption Basics with Emoji

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The above message may seem like a random string of emoji. But not so: When decoded, it reads: "Encryption Matters."

Today, Mozilla is launching Codemoji, a fun, educational tool that introduces everyday Internet users to ciphers — the basic building blocks of encryption — using emoji.

How it works

Codemoji is a Web-based platform that allows users to write a message, encode it using emoji, and then send it to a friend.

A friendly reminder: Codemoji is intended as a learning tool, not a platform for sharing personal data. Thankfully, modern encryption is much stronger than simple emoji ciphers. If you are going to be sending sensitive information, best to use a more sophisticated security tool .

Why we built Codemoji

Mozilla built Codemoji alongside our friends at TODO, the Turin, Italy-based design and creative agency. Our goal: To educate everyday Internet users about ciphers and the basics of encryption.

Says Mark Surman, Mozilla's Executive Director:

"When more people understand how encryption works and why it's important to them, more people can stand up for encryption when it matters most. This is crucial: Currently, encryption is being threatened around the world. From France to Australia to the UK, governments are proposing policies that would harm user security by weakening encryption. And in the U.S., the FBI recently asked Apple to undermine the security of its own products."

Mozilla believes encryption is the most important tool we have for building a more safe, secure Internet. And building a more secure Internet is critical to our users, our economy, and our national security.

Encryption is also a part of everyday life and everyday commerce. The things we do with it are things we value, like bank and shop. If encryption is weakened, these things become risky.

We believe Codemoji is a first step for everyday Internet users to better understand encryption. To learn more about encryption's importance, and how you can stand up for encryption, visit advocacy.mozilla.org/encrypt.

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