http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/529392/20131211/gchq-forced-privatesky-secure-email-service-offline.htm
> PrivateSky was shut down at the beginning of the year after introducing a > web-based version in beta and for Outlook and had "tens of thousands of > heavily active users". > > Brian Spector, CEO of CertiVox, told IT Security Guru: "Towards the end of > 2012, we heard from the National Technical Assistance Centre (NTAC), a > division of GCHQ and a liaison with the Home Office, [that] they wanted the > keys to decrypt the customer data. We did it before Lavabit and Silent Circle > and it was before Snowden happened. > > "It is the same in the USA with FISMA, and it is essentially a national > security warrant. So in late 2012 we had the choice to make - either > architect the world's most secure encryption system on the planet, so secure > that CertiVox cannot see your data, or spend £500,000 building a backdoor > into the system to mainline data to GCHQ so they can mainline it over to the > NSA. > > "It would be anti-ethical to the values and message we are selling our > customers in the first place." > > Catastrophic invasion of privacy > > Spector added: "Whether or not you agree or disagree with the UK and US > government, this is how it is and you have to comply with it. We still have > PrivateSky and run it internally for own use but we don't allow anyone to > access it." > > He said that from the technology it has implemented a split of the root key > in the M-Pin technology so it has one half and the user has the other. > > "So as far as I know we are the first to do that so if the NSA or GCHQ says > 'hand it over' we can comply as they cannot do anything with it until they > have the other half, where the customer has control of it." > > Lavabit and Silent Circle > > Earlier this year, both Lavabit and Silent Circle closed their secure email > services. Lavabit said it was not able to offer the same security for email > as it did for phone, video and text services. > > Lavabit owner and operator Ladar Levison confirmed that its email service was > being suspended after ties with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden forced his > hand into becoming "complicit in crimes against the American people or > walk[ing] away from nearly 10 years of hard work by shutting down Lavabit". > > Spector said: "The stock answer is that it is complicated. It was a > smattering of businesses and consumers who used it and you don't have any > recourse on it or let the subject know that you have been approached to > monitor their communications, as that is also against the law. > > "It was all too heavy, and all too cloak and dagger for what we wanted to do, > and the worst thing was we could have built a backdoor in but we are selling > out our customers and the security of the service. > > "We are business people but we believe in privacy, internet freedom and > responsible government." -- Kim Holburn IT Network & Security Consultant T: +61 2 61402408 M: +61 404072753 mailto:[email protected] aim://kimholburn skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request _______________________________________________ Link mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
