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Lavabit abruptly shuts down

lavabit.com

131–140 of 671 posts

Re: Lavabit abruptly shuts down

#131
post #11
post #3

Crap, I had just recently migrated all of my accounts to my new Lavabit address, paid for a year of service, etc. Although I've seen some mentioned, what recommendations does HN have for a new e-mail service? Preferably something stable and also respecting of a user's privacy. Or perhaps you can only have 1 of the aforementioned attributes.

I just lost access to my primary email account.

Did you get a refund?

Re: Lavabit abruptly shuts down

#132
Interesting thread from Email Discussions:

http://www.emaildiscussions.com/showthread.php?t=66968

If you're a SAAS provider, be aware if you need to shutdown that many users are not prepared for this. Several posters in the linked thread rely on a recover password feature sent to e-mail for access to other accounts. Not a prudent practice but this is common for many.

Re: Lavabit abruptly shuts down

#134

I like the part where he can't tell you why he's shutting down. As if we won't engage in rampant irresponsible speculation that they have told him to decrypt and forward everything to them in real time.

The standard way to get the story out is via "leaks". Someone could, gasp, hack into his email, get the story, and publish it.

Re: Lavabit abruptly shuts down

#135
post #91

Some questions given the reasons why they had to shutdown: 1. Can Lavabit now set up shop overseas (with a different TLD)? 2. If not 1, can Lavabit license their software infrastructure in such a way such that someone overseas can set up shop for them? 3. If not 2, can Lavabit open source their software such that someone anywhere else in world can start their own Lavabit? The point that I am trying to get across is t…

Not knowing the actual crime, you cannot answer any of those questions.

See, this is why "secret laws" are so bad: you cannot legally counteract because you don't know what's legal anymore.

Re: Lavabit abruptly shuts down

#136
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, he may not have been able to hand over the old data, but he may have been asked to include an exploit for all mail going forward. That could have been as simple as the authorities inserting some middleware.

Perhaps such a request is why they have shut down?

That's reasonable. And while you can get already in trouble for not having stored user data in the past, you cannot really refuse to store user data from now on. Ergo probably this surprise shutdown now … :(

Re: Lavabit abruptly shuts down

#137

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?

Eastern Europe/Russia/HK with a .su or .ch domain. Of course encrypt it.

The alphabet gangs are really getting out of hand.

Re: Lavabit abruptly shuts down

#138
This is infuriating, and the worst part is that a clear solution isn't in sight.

Sure, we can fight this in the courts, and a few secret programs might get shut down, but operations will just continue under a different name. We can encrypt our data, move our services and data offshore, but that just paints a big target on our heads - doesn't actually address the fundamental issue. This is supposed to be a democracy, but I don't see any democratic way of addressing this.

What do we do?

Re: Lavabit abruptly shuts down

#139
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[deleted]

Which will work fine until countermail gets an NSL too. Hosting your own, in your physical posession, with mercury-switch or dead-man-switch triggered thermite self-destruct is really the only option left.

And, snail mail.

Re: Lavabit abruptly shuts down

#140
post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, he's saying that there are groups on the Internet known for lashing out at companies for various politically motivated reasons, and this Snowden story is going to be one such reason. His choice to call them terrorists isn't something I'm going to really defend, but if it makes you feel any better, he hasn't been in charge of anything for 4 years.

He may not have been in charge of anything for four years, but it would be nice to see General Alexander condemning such specious reasoning and fear-mongering.

Is it fear-mongering? Sites actually do get hacked and defaced all the time for political advocacy (e.g. LulzSec). I've long been more afraid, in general, of computer hackers than government.
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