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Lavabit abruptly shuts down

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Re: Lavabit abruptly shuts down

#101

Post by Karunamon »

superconductor wrote: post #61

Can we get a list going of non-US alternatives of popular apps most of us use? Let's start with Dropbox. What's the alternative?

I'd suggest Owncloud for that, on a server running in your own home. Encrypted file system (LUKS), the works.

Pretty much identical to Dropbox and just as stable, IMHO.

Pricewise? You can buy an HP Microserver for about $300 that's capable of 12TB of storage on the top end (more if you get fancy with external arrays), whack it into a APC UPS for another $50, and just run it off your home internet connection. Hang a free domain hame at afraid.org off of it, and run a script on the box to keep the hostname pointed at your dynamic IP if your ISP won't give you a static one on reasonable terms.

Re: Lavabit abruptly shuts down

#102

Post by onli »

res0nat0r wrote: post #72
onli wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And this reads as if someone was trying to force him to install means to spy on his users, and it wouldn't be surprising if the aim was to spy on Snowden directly (if he really used this service).

More likely he was compelled to turn over emails relating to the case, and he doesn't want to have to be forced to do that again, so he's shutting down the service.

Possible, but unlikely given the nature of the service. It sounded like he wouldn't have been able to do that.

Re: Lavabit abruptly shuts down

#103

Post by asdfadfasdf »

jerfelix wrote: post #87
lawl wrote: post #63

I really would want to donate to them. But you know I kind of feel weary now connecting my PayPal Account with them. I hope some kind of organisation is standing up for them. Like EFF or something. Not because I don't trust them. But because I don't trust the NSA. They might flag me as a terrorist or something. Then again I'm probably already on this list for having some technical involvment with something the US gov…

There should be a bitcoin address for donations. There's no reason to trust me, but if you send me bitcoins, I'll convert to dollars and send to the fund. You preserve your anonymity. I'll convert all donations at the end of each month. 173WSQxBiwswTtMBxnnhGTZJtTy2RrdLgn

I also have a bridge to sell you.

Re: Lavabit abruptly shuts down

#104

Post by sentenza »

wmf wrote: post #58
grey-area wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd love to believe that the authorities in Germany are not also tapping lines like France or the UK. Do we have any proof that is the case? I agree this has made me think twice about hosting in the us, but also about crossing national boundaries full stop without encrypting traffic.

If you're German, would you prefer to be surveilled by the German government or by both the US and German governments? If you're in the US it seems kinda pointless to try to move to overseas hosting; the NSA will probably just focus on the client side.

Accountability and culture. German intelligence services are "weaker" in the sense that they (seemlingly) still are under the control of the legislative body (secret contracts with the Western Allies sadly nonwithstanding). They are also regarded with deep distrust by large parts of the populace and by a significant segment of the legislature.

It is quite possbible that, come September, some of the government parties might lose a few percentage points due to the citizens being annoyed about the erosion of the rule of law. We'll see.

Re: Lavabit abruptly shuts down

#105

Post by ihsw »

diminoten wrote: post #73
ck2 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The head of the NSA branded them as "the next terrorists". http://www.salon.com/2013/08/06/cyberscare_ex_nsa_chief_call...

Former head, and he was talking about the extremists who might attack Google or Microsoft, not lobbying groups like the EFF.

He's using the same logic that's used against extremists: if they're disenfranchised then they're a threat, and if we're disenfranchising them then they're a threat to us.

Why does the military have indefinite detention? It's simple: as a matter of policy they torture suspects, but since they were tortured then it stands to reason that they will become radicalized upon release, so they're held indefinitely.

Let me spell it out again in simpler terms: the military holds them because the military tortured them.

Not torturing them isn't even an considered an option despite the dollar cost of maintaining an off-shore super-maximum-security prison for hundreds of people guarded by a large military presence.

Re: Lavabit abruptly shuts down

#106

Post by __alexs »

RyanZAG wrote: post #24

I'm in the process of moving any Saas offerings I use off USA-affiliated companies, but it's actually more difficult than I first thought. I believe there might even be a very profitable market in simply duplicating the functionality of Saas offerings at a higher price with security/privacy guarantees in Germany/HK/etc. Might be the next hot business to be in? You'd be surprised as to the number of people seeking alt…

> I'm in the process of moving any Saas offerings I use off USA-affiliated companies, but it's actually more difficult than I first thought.

You should try finding a SSL cert retailer that's outside of the US. The only ones I could find that would actually sell me certs without a phone call charged at least $200 for a basic certificate. https://swisssign.com/en were the most sensible looking ones I could find.

Re: Lavabit abruptly shuts down

#108

Post by meritt »

RyanZAG wrote: post #24

I'm in the process of moving any Saas offerings I use off USA-affiliated companies, but it's actually more difficult than I first thought. I believe there might even be a very profitable market in simply duplicating the functionality of Saas offerings at a higher price with security/privacy guarantees in Germany/HK/etc. Might be the next hot business to be in? You'd be surprised as to the number of people seeking alt…

Moving services off USA-based companies is like using two bicycle locks instead of one. A determined government is still going to get your data, they just need to spend a bit more time.

Focus instead on encryption.

Re: Lavabit abruptly shuts down

#109

Post by jlgreco »

cschmidt wrote: post #76
kefs wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm also unsure of their proven effectiveness, but how could they hold you in contempt for _not_ taking an action?

I'm sure they would argue that you weren't supposed to reveal that you were under an NSL, and that your inaction did reveal it, so you violated the terms. As the grandparent says, it probably just a cute legal trick that wouldn't impress a judge.

If it gets to the point that a judge is not impressed, at least the public has been warned.

Re: Lavabit abruptly shuts down

#110

Post by fnordfnordfnord »

Karunamon wrote: post #47

Are there any countries, anywhere, where a person can store data outside the reach of the US government's illegal overreach? Any countries friendly to the US are right out. They can tap the lines, but there are ways around that. I just want to be able to park data where some twit with a piece of paper that says "NSA" on it can't get it retrieved or deleted. Any suggestions?

But you have to get the data there. It most certainly isn't protected in transit.
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