diff --git a/src/Util/Strings.php b/src/Util/Strings.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5efc214af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Util/Strings.php
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * @file src/Util/Strings.php
+ */
+
+namespace Friendica\Util;
+
+/**
+ * @brief This class contains methods to modify/transform strings.
+ */
+class Strings
+{
+    /**
+	 * escape text ($str) for XML transport
+	 * @param string $str
+	 * @return string Escaped text.
+	 */
+	public static function escape($str)
+	{
+		$buffer = htmlspecialchars($str, ENT_QUOTES, "UTF-8");
+		$buffer = trim($buffer);
+
+		return $buffer;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * undo an escape
+	 * @param string $s xml escaped text
+	 * @return string unescaped text
+	 */
+	public static function unescape($s)
+	{
+		$ret = htmlspecialchars_decode($s, ENT_QUOTES);
+		return $ret;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * apply escape() to all values of array $val, recursively
+	 * @param array $val
+	 * @return array
+	 */
+	public static function arrayEscape($val)
+	{
+		if (is_bool($val)) {
+			return $val?"true":"false";
+		} elseif (is_array($val)) {
+			return array_map('XML::arrayEscape', $val);
+		}
+		return self::escape((string) $val);
+	}
+}
diff --git a/src/Util/XML.php b/src/Util/XML.php
index c115e4d0d..ed0d4bbb0 100644
--- a/src/Util/XML.php
+++ b/src/Util/XML.php
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 namespace Friendica\Util;
 
 use Friendica\Core\Logger;
+use Friendica\Util\Strings;
 use DOMXPath;
 use SimpleXMLElement;
 
@@ -36,7 +37,7 @@ class XML
 					$root = new SimpleXMLElement("<".$key."/>");
 					self::fromArray($value, $root, $remove_header, $namespaces, false);
 				} else {
-					$root = new SimpleXMLElement("<".$key.">".self::escape($value)."</".$key.">");
+					$root = new SimpleXMLElement("<".$key.">".Strings::escape($value)."</".$key.">");
 				}
 
 				$dom = dom_import_simplexml($root)->ownerDocument;
@@ -104,7 +105,7 @@ class XML
 			}
 
 			if (!is_array($value)) {
-				$element = $xml->addChild($key, self::escape($value), $namespace);
+				$element = $xml->addChild($key, Strings::escape($value), $namespace);
 			} elseif (is_array($value)) {
 				$element = $xml->addChild($key, null, $namespace);
 				self::fromArray($value, $element, $remove_header, $namespaces, false);
@@ -123,7 +124,7 @@ class XML
 	public static function copy(&$source, &$target, $elementname)
 	{
 		if (count($source->children()) == 0) {
-			$target->addChild($elementname, self::escape($source));
+			$target->addChild($elementname, Strings::escape($source));
 		} else {
 			$child = $target->addChild($elementname);
 			foreach ($source->children() as $childfield => $childentry) {
@@ -144,11 +145,11 @@ class XML
 	 */
 	public static function createElement($doc, $element, $value = "", $attributes = [])
 	{
-		$element = $doc->createElement($element, self::escape($value));
+		$element = $doc->createElement($element, Strings::escape($value));
 
 		foreach ($attributes as $key => $value) {
 			$attribute = $doc->createAttribute($key);
-			$attribute->value = self::escape($value);
+			$attribute->value = Strings::escape($value);
 			$element->appendChild($attribute);
 		}
 		return $element;
@@ -462,43 +463,4 @@ class XML
 
 		return $first_item->attributes;
 	}
-
-	/**
-	 * escape text ($str) for XML transport
-	 * @param string $str
-	 * @return string Escaped text.
-	 */
-	public static function escape($str)
-	{
-		$buffer = htmlspecialchars($str, ENT_QUOTES, "UTF-8");
-		$buffer = trim($buffer);
-
-		return $buffer;
-	}
-
-	/**
-	 * undo an escape
-	 * @param string $s xml escaped text
-	 * @return string unescaped text
-	 */
-	public static function unescape($s)
-	{
-		$ret = htmlspecialchars_decode($s, ENT_QUOTES);
-		return $ret;
-	}
-
-	/**
-	 * apply escape() to all values of array $val, recursively
-	 * @param array $val
-	 * @return array
-	 */
-	public static function arrayEscape($val)
-	{
-		if (is_bool($val)) {
-			return $val?"true":"false";
-		} elseif (is_array($val)) {
-			return array_map('XML::arrayEscape', $val);
-		}
-		return self::escape((string) $val);
-	}
 }