Lavabit, the free email service that promised users a secure and private webmail experience, has shut down. The service, which has been in business for almost 10 years, has recently made
headlines for being the platform of choice for whistleblower Edward Snowden. The company did not say exactly why it shut down, but in a post on the company's website, Ladar Levison, owner and
operator, of Lavabit LLC, hinted that he was caving to government pressure and said that he didn't have the resources to fight. "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," he wrote. "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."
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