Activism | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Wed, 08 Oct 2014 18:28:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Activism | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Lavabit founder Levison on putting his pet to sleep https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/lavabit-founder-levison-on-putting-his-pet-to-sleep/ Fri, 04 Oct 2013 10:28:05 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=155898 Describing the process of shutting down Lavabit as akin to  “putting a beloved pet to sleep,” the site's founder Ladar Levison, has spoken out in an interview with WeAreChange, about what his site was, what his ethical reasoning for its shutdown were and what potential his decision has for the future of online privacy. Mr …

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Describing the process of shutting down Lavabit as akin to  “putting a beloved pet to sleep,” the site's founder Ladar Levison, has spoken out in an interview with WeAreChange, about what his site was, what his ethical reasoning for its shutdown were and what potential his decision has for the future of online privacy.

Mr Levison has been hailed by many as a hero for his actions, which saw him defy a government order to hand over the service's SSL key, giving the authorities access to NSA leaker Edward Snowden's emails, as well as those of every other site user's. He did this because he felt the order was unconstitutional and morally wrong, but there were some personal reasons too. The stress of government weight on his shoulders was giving him sleep issues and near constant anxiety.

Clearly some of that is ongoing, as his legal troubles are perhaps just beginning.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6zfCujXfJA']

When asked whether there were any repurcussions for his actions, Levison was coy and said simply that he believes the government hadn't pursued legal action against him before the service was shutdown, because they were worried he would do just that. He also alluded that the authorities were not pleased with his open letter to the community, which addressed some of what was happening.

Levison also defended Facebook, Google and others, when the interviewer claiemd they were getting paid to supply user information to the authorities, suggesting instead, that they were fighting battles similar to his, but that they weren't able to talk about the struggles because of how, “secretive everything is,” alluding to government gag orders.

“These companies are challenging the government's right to this information, the trouble is they're losing and they're losing these fights in secret,” he said. “They're being forced to collaborate, much the same as I was being forced to collaborate…”, “because of the secrecy involved, the public doesn't know enough to object.”

He goes on to allude that if people knew more, they wouldn't be keen on what the government was doing and would probably stand up to it. However, he's thankful that we're at a stage that people understand his decision and perhaps, we're edging towards a more public debate on whether the government should have access to our data.

There's progress, but it's slow.

KitGuru Says: Mr Levison made a brave decision shutting down his site and livelihood and it's a shame that he's clearly still nervous about his current legal position. If you want to donate to his legal fund, head here to contribute:

Lavabit Rally Campaign

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Lavabit defied government request for SSL, shut down servers instead https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/lavabit-defied-government-request-for-ssl-shut-down-servers-instead/ Thu, 03 Oct 2013 13:54:07 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=155761 There's been a lot of speculation over the past couple of months about why exactly Lavabit, the somewhat controversial, but always protected email service, shut down in August. There was certainly some links to Edward Snowden and there was speculation that it was to help the admins fight a US government subpoena. That's looks to …

The post Lavabit defied government request for SSL, shut down servers instead first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
There's been a lot of speculation over the past couple of months about why exactly Lavabit, the somewhat controversial, but always protected email service, shut down in August. There was certainly some links to Edward Snowden and there was speculation that it was to help the admins fight a US government subpoena. That's looks to have been half right, as new documents have come to light, which shows Lavabit voluntarily ended its service in order to deny the US government access to every single user's data.

Back in July, when some of the Edward Snowden fiasco was hitting its peak, the US government obtained a secret order that demanded Lavabit hand over the site's SSL key, which would have given the authorities access to Mr Snowden's email – which he was purportedly using to invite human rights lawyers and activists to his hideout in the Moscow airport – but beyond that, it would have made every single user on the service vulnerable to government intrusion.

The owner and founder of the site, Ladar Levison, claimed that handing over the key would be too much of a compromise of the site's principles and that of its users' privacy. While the authorities attempted to hold Levison in contempt and the judge gave him a sound haranguing , he stood firm and continued to resist handing over the key. By the start of August, the court began to fine Levison $5,000, for every day that he didn't comply. Within a weak, seeing no alternative, he destroyed the company servers and shut it down completely.

lavabit

He later confirmed and detailed this action on his Facebook page, as well as thanking those that chosen to donate to his legal defence fund:

“Without the donations people have made to the Lavabit Legal Defense Fund there is no way I would have been able to afford the legal support needed to win my appeal. I was afraid a precedent would be set that would allow our government to continue violating the intellectual property rights of American internet service providers and the privacy of honest citizens.”

“People using my service trusted me to safeguard their online identities and protect their information. I simply could not betray that trust. If the Obama administration feels compelled to continue violating the privacy rights of the masses just so they can conduct surveillance on the few then he should at least ask Congress for laws providing that authority instead of using the courts to force businesses into secretly becoming complicit in crimes against the American people.”

If you wish to contribute to Mr Levison's Legal Defense Fund, you can do so here.

KitGuru Says: A ballsy move, especially since this company has been Levison's main source of income and business since 2004. That's a huge commitment to the privacy of data and should be a statement taken on board by the authorities. 

That said, the destruction of the servers isn't ideal. Were any of you Lavabit customers? Did you lose any important information when the servers shut down?

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ACTA defeated in Europe https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/acta-defeated-in-europe/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/acta-defeated-in-europe/#respond Wed, 04 Jul 2012 16:30:03 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=98442 Members of European Parliament have sunk the ACTA ship, voting to reject the treaty and make it un-enforceable by member nations. While there is still the potential for countries outside the EU to enact it, it would take a large majority to successfully pass it and with the consensus on the continent, that seems unlikely. …

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Members of European Parliament have sunk the ACTA ship, voting to reject the treaty and make it un-enforceable by member nations. While there is still the potential for countries outside the EU to enact it, it would take a large majority to successfully pass it and with the consensus on the continent, that seems unlikely.

While this positive result for internet freedom was expected due to the sheer scale of the public and political outcry, there was still a chance that it could have ended up as law. In the end though, 478 MEPs rejected it, while a total of 146 abstained from voting; only 39 voted for the bill. While the internet is never short of people willing to pat themselves on the back, those involved with the campaign to halt ACTA should feel free to do so. This was an act that had been in the works for half a decade before it was rushed in on the tail end of SOPA and PIPA controversy.

Despite the masses of backing initially behind it, the public's unified reaction and informative campaign brought ACTA and its lobbyists to their knees.

Stop ACTA
Good Job Internet

Ultimately, those interested in preserving freedom of expression on the internet have prevailed. Pirate Party UK leader Loz Kaye said that: “This must signal a start for a new way of doing politics. No more should international agreements be negotiated behind closed doors and simply rubber stamped by parliaments. Policy must become something that happens with the people, not to the people.”

KitGuru says: Perhaps as CISPA becomes a reality politicians will give thought to this idea?

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