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The app that could have prevented Chris Christie’s traffic scandal

By
Dan Primack
Dan Primack
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By
Dan Primack
Dan Primack
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 8, 2014, 4:33 PM ET

FORTUNE — We all know that email is forever, but that doesn’t mean we always act like it is.

The latest example comes this morning from New Jersey, where a smoking gun has emerged over allegations that Chris Christie closed local access lanes near Fort Lee as political payback for that city’s mayor not supporting Christie’s reelection bid. “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” wrote a senior Christie staffer to a Port Authority official, thus specifically tying Trenton to the tie-ups.

But now there is a new app that could eliminate such scandals in the future (albeit not the rotten underlying acts). It’s called Confide, and basically acts like Snapchat for professionals. Private, end-to-end encrypted, screenshot-proof messages (which leverage email addresses rather than phone numbers) that disappear shortly after they are sent. Uses could be everything from discussing the next employee to fire or complaining about your boss or… well, causing massive traffic gridlock out of spite.

The company is being led by Jon Brod, a former senior AOL (AOL) executive who stepped down early last month. His fellow co-founders are Yext co-founders Howard Lerman (chairman) and Dan Sutera (COO). The trio bootstrapped Confide for its launch, although they plan to raise venture capital funding within the next several months.

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By Dan Primack
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