[CompSecSem] Encrypted Email Provider Lavabit Shuts Down, Blames US Gov't - Slashdot

[Caspar Bowden (lists)]

On 08/15/13 12:31, Ian Batten wrote:
> On 15 Aug 2013, at 12:11, Mark Ryan <M.D.Ryan at cs.bham.ac.uk> wrote:
>> There is a (to me) fascinating video interview with Ladar Levison, 
>> the founder and operator of Lavabit, and another recipient of a 
>> "national security letter": 
>> http://www.democracynow.org/2013/8/13/exclusive_owner_of_snowdens_email_service 
>> It also contains a 2005 clip of then-senator Barack Obama giving a 
>> different opinion on national security letters than the one he 
>> appears to have today. 
> Labour, prior to the 1997 general election, said of pretty well all forms of interception, key escrow and the like that they were wrong in principle and unworkable in practice. A group called "Scientists for Labour"

actually it was me wot got SfL into the crypto issue.

> , who included people like Roger Needham, endorsed this policy document

Don't know if Roger involved via Labour. The pledge against escrow 
hatched by well-known Net journalist.

> and said that their off-the-record discussions confirmed that Labour believed it and would live by it.
>
> Within about six months,

See for more http://www.fipr.org/rip/Cryptfree.htm

> Jack Straw as Home Secretary had launched the discussions which led to RIPA, with the earlier drafts far scarier than the result.
>
> The same thing happened with Clinton over "Clipper" and key escrow.  Presumably likewise for Obama.

In case of interest (me) at 
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/prism-the-eu-must-take-steps-to-protect-cloud-data-from-us-snoopers-8701175.html

Caspar