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A whole new low in government trust
Our country changed so quickly in the past week that it feels like the pod doors have been sealed shut and an antigravity switch flipped inside our borders. From the outside, it probably looks like a snowglobe scene of hell. The Doomsday Clock advanced, "thanks to Trump," and it's now only two and a half minutes to nuclear midnight, while The Economist's Democracy Index downgraded the US from "full democracy" to "flawed."
Snowden's preferred email provider, Lavabit, has been resurrected
Lavabit, the encrypted email provider Edward Snowden favored, has risen from the ashes with more security features than before. If you'll recall, company chief Ladar Levison shut it down in 2013 instead of complying with the government's demand to hand over its SSL encryption key. Authorities targeted the provider in order to get to the whistleblower's communications, but a gag order prevented Lavabit from confirming that was the case until last year. In order to ensure its users' privacy, the resurrected Lavabit uses a new architecture that physically prevents the company from handing over its SSL key.
Snowden's email provider confirms it was an investigation target
It's a poorly kept secret that officials targeted Lavabit's secure email service as part of their investigation into Edward Snowden's leaks. Heck, the US government inadvertently leaked the truth itself. However, a gag order has prevented Lavabit from publicly acknowledging this... until now. In a statement, company founder Ladar Levinson can finally confirm that law enforcement pursued Lavabit in order to access Snowden's communications. When the investigation began, authorities wanted the provider to hand over an encryption key that would not only expose Snowden, but all 410,000 Lavabit customers. It's no wonder that Levinson decided to close shop -- it's hard to advertise private email when the feds can theoretically spy on any of your users.
Edward Snowden is the Lavabit user the government was after
There was never hard proof that the government was after Edward Snowden during its pursuit of now-defunct secure email service Lavabit, but that's changed. In an embarrassing gaffe, the feds released unredacted court documents confirming the suspicion everyone had but no one could prove outright. Wired reports that Lavabit's former owner Ladar Levison has been threatened with contempt and possible jail time in the event of breaking his silence. It's a good thing he doesn't have to worry about that anymore, isn't it?
Lavabit hopes to kickstart Dark Mail protocol by raising $200,000
When Lavabit and Silent Circle announced Dark Mail, they mentioned their goal of getting more providers to use the secure email protocol. To make that happen, Lavabit founder Ladar Levison has launched a Kickstarter campaign for the clean up and release of his defunct email service's source code. Dark Mail's tech encrypts a digital missive's body and metadata to keep them safe from prying eyes. However, as the encryption only works if emails are sent and received from Dark Mail-capable accounts, the project also aims to build open source desktop clients and mobile apps. Before anyone who wants to tinker with Lavabit's code gets excited, though, know that the firm will first have to get past a huge hurdle. The campaign has a lofty funding goal of $196,608, and its decidedly stark Kickstarter page isn't doing it any favors.
Dark Mail Alliance develops surveillance-proof email technology
We wouldn't be surprised if you're looking for a more secure email provider after the whole government surveillance debacle. That's why Lavabit and Silent Circle have joined forces as the Dark Mail Alliance to develop a new snoop-proof email technology. Dark Mail's "Email 3.0" tech applies peer-to-peer encryption not only to the body of the digital missive, but also to its metadata (To:, From: and Subject fields) that third parties are most likely to collect. One downside is that encryption only works between Dark Mail accounts -- messages sent using the tech to Gmail or a Hotmail addresses won't be protected from prying eyes. If the two firms sound familiar, that's because they used to offer secure email services of their own, which shuttered earlier this year. However, they're determined to rise from the ashes and make the tech available to the public via mobile and desktop apps by 2014. [Image credit: g4ll4is, Flickr]
Lavabit reinstates service briefly so users can download emails, change passwords
Email provider Lavabit shut down in August due to government pressure in the wake the Edward Snowden leaks, but it is apparently re-opening -- for a little while. A press release issued by Lavabit indicates that there's a two-step process, with step one giving users a chance to change their password (which started at 8PM ET tonight). Step two kicks in on October 17th or 18th and will let users download an archive of their stored messages and personal account data. The password change is in response to information that the company's SSL certificates have been compromised by the investigation. User's accounts should be secure under a new key after their passwords are reset, not to mention the bonus of having access to their data again. If you had an account, it's accessible at Liberty.Lavabit.com, those interested in founder Ladar Levison's legal battle can provide support at Rally.org.
Recommended Reading: Jeff Bezos' Everything Store, Twitter's tumultuous history and more
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books dealing with the subject of technology that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. The Secrets of Bezos: How Amazon Became the Everything Store by Brad Stone, Bloomberg Businessweek Brad Stone's book on Amazon and founder Jeff Bezos is set to be published next week, but Bloomberg Businessweek has offered an extensive look at what's in store with this cover story/excerpt from the author, including one of his biggest revelations. Drawn from interviews with hundreds of those who know or have worked with Bezos, the piece offers the most in-depth look yet at Amazon and its evolution into what Stone describes as the "Everything Store," as well as what Bezos himself is like to work for.
Lavabit was under FBI pressure to decrypt Snowden connections, court reveals
When Lavabit shut down in the wake of Edward Snowden's leaks, it left a big question unanswered: just what did the US government want that was supposedly so egregious? Thanks to newly unsealed court documents obtained by Wired, we now know much more of the story. The FBI had served Lavabit an order requiring that it hand over Snowden's encryption keys, helping the agency install a device that would collect metadata from its suspect's email connections. Lavabit repeatedly turned down the requests since it could have given access to data from every user of the service -- at one point it did serve up the SSL keys, but printed out on 11 pages in 4pt type -- which led to threats of criminal contempt charges and fines. We all know what happened afterward -- company founder Ladar Levison chose to shutter Lavabit rather than comply with the FBI's demands. While the new details aren't shocking given the government's desire to catch Snowden, they help explain Levison's past statements; he felt that it was better to defend Lavabit in court than risk violating the privacy of his customers.
Lavabit alternative MyKolab offering lite version and cloud storage to help you dodge the NSA
Remember Kolab? Groklaw dropped its name as a secure alternative to now-shuttered Lavabit after announcing its own demise. The Swiss company is trying to capitalize on the fresh notoriety, and has announced a lite version of its MyKolab secure email service. It skips the premium version's calendars, tasks and other frills for half the price, about $5.25/month. There's also a new file storage option for premium customers that offers 1GB of cloud space. Uploaded files can not only be viewed, but also attached directly to an email. And, if 1GB isn't enough, you can always buy more storage. The company is located in Switzerland, where it can presumably resist NSA pressure to fall in line -- so, if prefer your email with less PRISM, check the More Coverage link.
Lavabit founder chafes under NSA scrutiny, speaks out against govermental privacy violations
Lavabit shut down its email services a couple weeks ago in response to governmental pressure regarding NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden's account. At the time, founder Ladar Levison stated he was shutting down Lavabit because he didn't want to "become complicit in crimes against the American people," but didn't expound upon what that statement meant due to a governmental gag order. The Guardian spoke with Levison recently, however, and while he still didn't deliver details about his legal dealings with Uncle Sam, he did share some thoughts about governmental surveillance in general. As you might expect, Levison is against ubiquitous governmental surveillance of communications between citizens. To that end, he's calling for a change to be made in US law so that private and secure communications services can operate without being used as "listening posts for an American surveillance network." He's not wholly against the feds tapping phone lines, though, as he recognizes the role such surveillance plays in law enforcement. However, he thinks the methods that are being used to conduct that surveillance should be made public -- not an unreasonable request, by any means. You can read Levison's full take on the matter, along with a recounting of reasons behind Lavabit's creation at the source below.
Daily Roundup: Toshiba Excite Write review, Xbox One unboxed, Google's eventual downfall, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Lavabit, reportedly Edward Snowden's email service of choice, shuts down
It looks like Edward Snowden is going to have to find a new email service as the one he supposedly used -- Lavabit -- has abruptly closed its doors. The company's owner, Ladar Levison, posted an open letter on the site today, saying, "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." Levison also claimed to be unable to speak to the specifics surrounding the situation, stating that a Congressionally approved gag order prevented him from doing so. While Lavabit's situation seems pretty dire, it might not be curtains just yet. In his message, Levison stated that he would take his fight to reinstate Lavabit to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. To read the missive in full, head on over to the source link below.
