Lavabit email service abruptly shuts down, citing government interference

Via The Guardian:

Quote:

The email service reportedly used by surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden abruptly shut down on Thursday after its owner cryptically announced his refusal to become "complicit in crimes against the American people."

The founder of Lavabit, Ladar Levison, said that government restrictions kept him from explaining the events that led to the crisis point.



Silent Circle, a startup working on end to end secure communications, has also announced that they have shut down their email service. They have not received any requests from the government for their cooperation, but citing that "we see the writing on the wall" they have decided to suspend their secure email service now rather than wait for subpoenas.



The EFF has this to say, and I couldn't agree more:

Quote:

Lavabit’s post indicates that there was a gag order, and that there is an ongoing appeal before the Fourth Circuit. We call on the government and the courts to unseal enough of the docket to allow, at a minimum, the public to know the legal authority asserted, both for the gag and the substance, and give Lavabit the breathing room to participate in the vibrant and critical public debates on the extent of email privacy in an age of warrantless bulk surveillance by the NSA.

The final word from Levison:

Quote:

This experience has taught me one very important lesson: without congressional action or a strong judicial precedent, I would strongly recommend against anyone trusting their private data to a company with physical ties to the United States.

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