Two encrypted e-mail services shut down this week citing efforts to avoid government inquiries that would threaten the privacy and security of its users. Both of these services have ties to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Lavabit was the first to shut down on Thursday. The site faced pressure from the government to reveal details and give them access to their site after Snowden used a Lavabit e-mail address to invite press and activists to hear him speak in the Moscow airport.
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," the service's owner Ladar Levinson wrote in a memo to the company. "After significant soul searching, I have decided to suspend operations. I wish that I could legally share with you the events that led to my decision. I cannot."
The last part of Levinson's announcement hints that an investigation by the government is responsible for his decision to shut down the site's operations.
Lavabit launched in 2004 and specialized in providing users with high-security in their e-mail services. It was designed specifically to thwart the kind of surveillance Snowden revealed in June was being used by the U.S. government, according to PC World.
Hours later, Silent Circle, a Maryland-based encryption service followed suit by shutting down its own operation.
PC Mag reports CTO Jon Callas wrote an announcement on the company's blog to inform customers of the changes.
"We see the writing [on] the wall, and we have decided that it is best for us to shut down Silent Mail now," he said. However, unlike Lavabit, Silent Circle has received no subpoenas, warrants, security letters or contact from the government in any way.
CEO Mike Janke confirmed to the New York Times that the Silent Mail server has been destroyed and the information there is officially gone forever.
