The privacy app Jumbo announced today that it has added several new features, expanded and clarified its various pricing tiers, and secured $8M in Series A funding to continue developing is services for Android and iOS users.
Jumbo Privacy launched in April 2019, first on iOS, and then later that year on Android. The company provides a service to allow users to securely monitor and control what data gets permanently shared with different apps and websites, and even to download and erase that data if they choose to do so. None of the users’ information or data is stored on Jumbo’s servers; instead, it is all done directly between the user’s device and the connected services. The company believes that privacy is a fundamental right, and its stated mission is to give users back control of their own private and sensitive data when dealing with large internet and social media companies.
Among the new features added in Jumbo 2 is the ability to scan Instagram and LinkedIn, and to receive recommendations in additional languages such as French and German. There is also a refreshed Home tab design (still rolling out to Android users) which is intended to make it easier to see at a glance how the app is working to protect your privacy from week to week. Jumbo’s data breach monitoring feature has been upgraded to notify users of breaches more quickly and more accurately.
It now provides more actionable information so that if your data has been illegally obtained, you are armed with tools and steps to address the issue. Perhaps the most significant new service is the addition of a Block Trackers feature that works on your device to block over 400 ad trackers.
Of particular importance to Android users, Jumbo 2 has been optimized to work in the background, so that once you set it up, you don’t have to keep the app open or check it if you don’t want to. Jumbo CEO Pierre Valade said that his team “did a lot of work to make sure the app was working in the background on Android across all kinds of devices.”
With Jumbo 2, users can opt for a free tier, Jumbo Plus, or Jumbo Pro. According to Valade, “We have seen countless times that when an app or service is free, you are the product and money is being made off of you and your data.” Valade says that in order for the company to stay true to its values and mission AND build a sustainable business, they’ve decided to introduce the Plus and Pro tiers allowing users to pay what they think is fair.
This monetization model is much like the one Radiohead made popular with the online release of their In Rainbows album in 2007, and it has seen success with other iOS and Android app developers. Jumbo has also expressed a commitment to work with users who may not be able to afford a payment, particularly in cases where they need to quickly clean up a social media presence or scan their LinkedIn profile while job hunting.
The new tiers offer privacy monitoring for the following services:
Jumbo Free
- Facebook Messenger
- Google Search
- Gmail
- YouTube
- Google Maps
- Chrome
- Data Breaches
- Amazon Shopping
Jumbo Plus
Jumbo Plus offers everything from the free tier, plus:
- Facebook Messenger
- Amazon Alexa
Jumbo Pro
Jumbo Pro offers everything from Jumbo Free and Plus, as well as:
It’s worth noting that Android users cannot yet partake in a free trial period of Jumbo Plus or Pro as they can on iOS, but Valade says that “we want to do a free trial version on Android as soon as possible. It’s the next thing we’re doing.” Regardless of which tier you choose, you don’t have to opt-in to all of Jumbo’s services, but instead, you can pick and choose which are right for you.
In addition to the streamlining of the app and feature enhancements, Jumbo announced that it had raised $8M in Series A funding led by lead investment firm Balderton Capital. Jumbo believes in complete transparency in its app and actions and has disclosed a comprehensive list of its investors on the company blog.
We look forward to giving Jumbo Privacy a try on our Android devices and look to report back on our experiences in the coming weeks.
