Lavabit
 | |
Type of site | Webmail |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ladar Levison[1] |
| URL | lavabit |
| Launched | 2004 |
| Current status | Suspended |
Lavabit is an email service founded in 2004 that suspended operations in August 2013. It is owned and operated by Ladar Levison.[1][3]
History
Lavabit was founded by Texas-based programmers who formed Nerdshack LLC, renamed Lavabit LLC the next year, allegedly prompted 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.[4] Lavabit offered 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 August 2013, they had about 410,000 users and offered free and paid accounts with levels of storage ranging from 128 megabytes to 8 gigabytes.[5][6][7]
On June 10, 2013, a search warrant was executed against Lavabit user Joey006@lavabit.com for alleged possession of child pornography.[8] It is unclear whether this warrant was in any way related to Lavabit's subsequent shutdown.
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.[9]
Suspension
On August 8, 2013, Lavabit suspended its operations, and the email service log-in page was replaced by a message from the owner and operator Ladar Levison.[1] The New Yorker suggested that the suspension might be related to the National Security Agency’s "domestic-surveillance practices".[10] Levison wrote on his site that he was legally unable to explain why he ended the service, and instead asked for 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.[9][11] Lavabit is believed to be the first technology firm which chose to suspend/shut down its operation rather than comply with an order from the United States government to reveal information or grant access to information.[3] Silent Circle, an encrypted email, mobile video and voice service provider, followed the example of Lavabit by discontinuing its encrypted email services.[12]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Lavabit". Lavabit. Archived from the original on August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
- ^ "Lavabit.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
- ^ a b Ackerman, Spencer (August 9, 2013). "Lavabit email service abruptly shut down citing government interference: Founder of service reportedly used by Edward Snowden said he would not be complicit in 'crimes against the American people'". The Guardian. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
- ^ Lavabit High Scalability Writeup
- ^ http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57597954-83/lavabit-chief-predicts-long-fight-with-feds-q-a/
- ^ 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.
- ^ "In the Matter of the Search of: Lavabit LLC Email Account for Joey006@lavabit.com". Docket Alarm, Inc. Retrieved 10 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.
- ^ Davidson, Amy. "The N.S.A. and Its Targets: Lavabit Shuts Down". The New Yorker. 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.
- ^ Ribeiro, John. "After Lavabit, Silent Circle also shuts down its encrypted email service". PC World. Retrieved 9 August 2013.