INESC-ID master’s student, Tomás Lopes, was one of the only 50 students awarded “Distinguished Winner” in Apple’s Swift Student Challenge. The challenge is an international competition that recognises students who create innovative apps specifically for Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS.

“Signal”, developed by Tomás, is an interactive app that demonstrates how federated learning works, without accessing servers or making network requests, thereby ensuring total privacy. As part of his prize, Tomás was invited to visit Apple’s headquarters during this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), one of the world’s most important technological events.

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Image | Swift Student Challenge