Lavabit's Ladar Levison: 'If You Knew What I Know About Email, You Might Not Use It'

Forbes ^ | August 9, 2013 | Kashmir Hill

[NCjim]

Ladar Levison, 32, has spent ten years building encrypted email service Lavabit, attracting over 410,000 users. When NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden was revealed to be one of those users in July, Dallas-based Lavabit got a surge of new customers: $12,000 worth of paid subscribers, triple his usual monthly sign-up. On Thursday, though, Levison pulled the plug on his company, posting a cryptic message about a government investigation that would force him to “become complicit in crimes against the American people” were he to stay in business. Many people have speculated that the investigation concerned the government trying to get access to the email of Edward Snowden, who has been charged with espionage. There are legal restrictions which prevent Levison from being more specific about a protest of government methods that has forced him to shutter his company, an unprecedented move.

“This is about protecting all of our users, not just one in particular. It’s not my place to decide whether an investigation is just, but the government has the legal authority to force you to do things you’re uncomfortable with,” said Levison in a phone call on Friday. “The fact that I can’t talk about this is as big a problem as what they asked me to do.”

[OneWingedShark]

So, when are politicians and bureaucrats slated for a good hanging?

[Jim Robinson]

Never heard a peep from the government about anything like this.

[I want the USA back]

The government wants complete control over everything, including thoughts.

[no-s]

Out-of-the-box sendmail should come with a HOWTO on acquiring horse tranquilizers. I hate sendmail.

There's something about it you just have to hate. I quit sendmail administration more than a decade ago. There's some things I don't put on my resume for a good reason, and that reason is keeping my sanity. But I'll tell stories when I've had a few.

[opentalk]

supposedly, Snowden used this private encrypted email service to communicate with Guardian reporter

[tacticalogic]

There's something about it you just have to hate. I quit sendmail administration more than a decade ago. There's some things I don't put on my resume for a good reason, and that reason is keeping my sanity. But I'll tell stories when I've had a few.

When I hear people complain about regular expressions being cryptic, I tell they they should check out sendmail rulesets sometime.

[BfloGuy]

very nice, but they should have done what Pirate Bay did which is keep moving the servers, something Megaupload dude wasn’t able to do as he was caught snoozing at his own mansion..

Some people aren't on an ideological mission -- they just want to run a business.

[OneWingedShark]

There's something about it you just have to hate. I quit sendmail administration more than a decade ago. There's some things I don't put on my resume for a good reason, and that reason is keeping my sanity. But I'll tell stories when I've had a few.

The original internet worm was unix-based and used sendmail.

[OneWingedShark]

When I hear people complain about regular expressions being cryptic, I tell they they should check out sendmail rulesets sometime.

Ewww...

Though: Just because something is bad doesn't mean there isn't worse.

[familyop]

"The only real option is to develop a technology that gets around it - encrypted, distributed, P2P systems for ALL communications."

MUAs could more commonly be strong encryption-only versions--all of 'em. And yes, there would be ways to see to that, legally and honorably. Granted, the crypto stuff would all have to be developed and hosted in certain foreign countries that allow it more liberally.

[RockyTx]

this matter is a golden opportunity
for Republicans to dis Obama.

[RockyTx]

we have out own Travon.

where is the Republican leadership?

[OneWingedShark]

this matter is a golden opportunity for Republicans to dis Obama.

Look for Republicans to do nothing except kiss ass on this issue.

[nvscanman]

The criminals in Washington have taken to committing
crimes and while in the process of doing so threatening
people with prison for telling anyone about the criminal
actions of said government criminals. If the FBIdiots
show up at the local library and ask to see what books
a local person they are interested in has checked out
in the past year the librarian MUST under threat of jail
give them that info...without a warrant....and must NOT
tell the person who is being investigated that the FBIdiots
are collecting intel on them. If they spill the beans they
go to jail. Nice neat system....you get to force citizens to be party to your crimes and if they talk about your crimes you get to imprison them.

[null and void]

Good!

[Windflier]

a few quick paragraph’s.

Death to all misplaced apostrophes!!

[Vendome]

Happens “alot”

LOL

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks NCjim.

[Errant]

MUAs offer a doorway that a state power could exploit. This system must offer no ability for a state to eventually compromise any single component, company, or code.

We have the technology, it needs improving and application. The exposure of this spying will drive it to market.

[Travis McGee]

The Plan:

DOJ + NSA + IRS = KGB