Lavabit: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 13:40, 9 August 2013
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Type of site | Webmail |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ladar Levison[1] |
| URL | lavabit |
| Launched | 2004 |
| Current status | Suspended |
Lavabit was an email service founded in 2004 that ceased operations in August 2013. It was owned and operated by Ladar Levison.[1]
History
Lavabit was founded by Texas-based programmers who formed Nerdshack LLC, renamed Lavabit LLC the next year, prompted [dubious – discuss] by privacy concerns about Gmail, Google's free, widely-used email service, and their use of the content of users' email to generate advertisements and marketing data. Lavabit offers significant privacy protection for their users' email, including asymmetric encryption. The strength of the cryptographic methods used was of a level that is difficult for even intelligence agencies to crack. Ghacks called it "probably the most secure, private email service right now". In July 2013, they had about 350,000 users and offered free and paid accounts with levels of storage ranging from 128 megabytes to 8 gigabytes.[3][4]
Connection to Edward Snowden
Lavabit received media attention in July 2013 when it was revealed that National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden was using the Lavabit email address edsnowden@lavabit.com to email human rights lawyers and activists to a press conference during his confinement at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow.[5]
Shutdown
On August 8, 2013, Lavabit shut down and their webpage was replaced by a message from owner Ladar Levison. He wrote that he was legally unable to explain why he shut down the service and solicited donations to "fight for the Constitution" in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Wired speculated that Levison was fighting a warrant or national security letter seeking customer information under extraordinary circumstances, as Lavabit had complied with at least one routine warrant in the past.[5][6]
A letter from Ladar Levison was posted on the Lavabit website after it was shutdown. It read:
My Fellow Users,
I have been forced to make a difficult decision: to become complicit in crimes against the American people or walk away from nearly ten years of hard work by shutting down Lavabit. After significant soul searching, I have decided to suspend operations. I wish that I could legally share with you the events that led to my decision. I cannot. I feel you deserve to know what’s going on--the first amendment is supposed to guarantee me the freedom to speak out in situations like this.
Unfortunately, Congress has passed laws that say otherwise. As things currently stand, I cannot share my experiences over the last six weeks, even though I have twice made the appropriate requests.
What’s going to happen now? We’ve already started preparing the paperwork needed to continue to fight for the Constitution in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. A favorable decision would allow me resurrect Lavabit as an American company.
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.
Sincerely, Ladar Levison Owner and Operator, Lavabit LLC
Defending the constitution is expensive! Help us by donating to the Lavabit Legal Defense Fund here.
See also
References
- ^ a b "Lavabit". Lavabit. Archived from the original on August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
- ^ "Lavabit.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
- ^ Ingersoll, Geoffrey (July 12, 2013). "How Edward Snowden Sends His Ultra-Sensitive Emails". Business Insider. Archived from the original on August 8, 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
- ^ Brinkmann, Martin (July 14, 2013). "Lavabit is probably the most secure, private email service right now". Ghacks. Archived from the original on August 8, 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
- ^ a b Poulsen, Kevin (August 8, 2013). "Edward Snowden's Email Provider Shuts Down After Secret Court Battle". Wired. Archived from the original on August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
- ^ Jardin, Xeni (August 8, 2013). "Lavabit, email service Snowden reportedly used, abruptly shuts down". Boing Boing. Archived from the original on August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.