Lavabit email service of Edward Snowden fame closed down for reasons under gag order

Lavabit is (was) a secure email service that became a figure in the public eye following details that Edward Snowden, former NSA contractor and PRISM leaker, used the service. Unfortunately for users of the service, Lavabit’s founder and operator Ladar Levison announced today that the service has been shut down following a behind-the-scenes legal issue […]

Lavabit, reportedly Edward Snowden’s email service of choice, shuts down

It looks like Edward Snowden is going to have to find a new email service as the one he supposedly used — Lavabit — has abruptly closed its doors. The company’s owner, Ladar Levison, posted an open letter on the site today, saying, “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.” Levison also claimed to be unable to speak to the specifics surrounding the situation, stating that a Congressionally approved gag order prevented him from doing so. While Lavabit’s situation seems pretty dire, it might not be curtains just yet. In his message, Levison stated that he would take his fight to reinstate Lavabit to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. To read the missive in full, head on over to the source link below.

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Via: Boing Boing

Source: Lavabit

Edward Snowden’s Email Provider Shut Down Rather Than Comply With Feds

Edward Snowden's Email Provider Shut Down Rather Than Comply With Feds

Users of the extra secure and private email provider Lavabit are out of luck after the owner shut down the service on Thursday offering only a cryptic message as an explanation. Lavabit is the preferred email service provider of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, and yes, this matters.

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Aviary for iOS update adds Instagram and email sharing options, extra magic

Aviary for iOS update adds Instagram and email sharing options

Aviary has certainly been busy over the past couple of months, having recently overhauled its photo-editing app for Android, as well as launching on Windows Phone 8. Fortunately, the industrious company has also found time to work on its iOS app, which has just been updated to allow picture sharing via Instagram and good old-fashioned email. The sharing menu now features two new buttons that’ll push the selected image into Instagram’s own app, or launch Mail and add it to the body of an email. According to the update changelog, the new version also has “a bonus extra dose of magic added.” We asked the folks at Aviary exactly how they implemented this exciting feature, but frustratingly, they wouldn’t tell us.

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Via: The Next Web

Source: iTunes store (Aviary)

New Gmail layout spawns targeted ads that look like emails

DNP New Gmail layout spawns targeted email ads sent to your inbox

Gmail’s new layout doesn’t just keep your inbox organized, it also gives Google the perfect opportunity to send you unsolicited email ads. These sponsored missives appear as highlighted entries under the Promotions tab, where you can also find deals and updates from online services you subscribe to. To be fair, Gmail has long displayed advertisements at the top of your inbox, so this development isn’t totally new. In a statement sent to Venturebeat, the company says it’s merely relegating ads “to a more appropriate place” and that they won’t show up unless they’re relevant to you. No word yet if this is a permanent arrangement, but if it makes you livid, you can always kill your Promotions tab or dismiss the intrusive emails by clicking the “x” button on the right.

[Image credit: Antonio Gulli]

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Via: BGR, VentureBeat

Source: Geek

Gmail gets full-screen compose option by popular demand

In October, Google rolled out a new Gmail compose box that would allow users to reference past emails and other content in the account while composing. While it was a handy change and addressed issues many had complained about, others weren’t happy when it became the default option. Now, by popular demand, a full-screen option has been added.

compose

Google announced the new feature today on Google+, saying that it was prodded to add a full-screen compose window by feedback it received from users. The option doesn’t do away with the current pop-out compose window, which is fixed to the right side of the inbox, instead giving a second option for those who prefer it.

With the new full-screen mode, the compose window expands to fill most of the center of the user’s display, with the outer margins dimming gray for a proper writing session. This can be achieved either temporarily, depending on need, or set as the default way Gmail’s compose box shows up when a new message is started.

The full-screen option can be triggered by clicking the Expand button on the menu bar. To make the expanded view your default option, the More Options menu on the bottom of the box holds the “Default to full-screen” option, which can be toggled on and off as desired. Those who don’t see it yet should be seeing it within the next couple days, since it is happening in waves.

In addition to the full-screen compose window, the formatting toolbar is also now on by default, making it easier to get to the formatting tools that, upon a quick glance, had seemed to disappear when the design change first took place.

SOURCE: Google


Gmail gets full-screen compose option by popular demand is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Google brings new full-screen compose window to Gmail

Google brings new fullscreen compose window to Gmail

It looks like those not satisfied with the recent Gmail redesign will soon have a new option to make things operate in a slightly more familiar manner. Google announced today that it’s begun rolling out a new full-screen compose window that gives you more room to work with than the current option that’s pinned to the lower right corner. What’s more, you’ll also find that the formatting toolbar is now on by default instead of requiring an extra click as it does now, and you can choose to make the full-screen view the default if you prefer it. If you don’t have the new option already, Google says you should within the next couple of days.

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Source: Gmail (Google+)

Yahoo launches wish list for requesting inactive usernames

Yahoo launches wish list for requesting inactive usernames

If you’re itching to shed that old, embarrassing Yahoo username in favor of something a little more age appropriate, we’ve got good news. Mayer and Co. have just opened up a wish list to request inactive usernames. Plug in your five moniker requests (in order of preference) by August 7th, and if you’re first in line for an account that hasn’t been used in over a year, it’ll be yours by the middle of the month. Once the search giant sends a message to your inbox, simply click the included link within 48 hours and the re-purposed account will be yours. After the initial period, folks will be able to add usernames to a watch list, and will be alerted when they become available.

Worried that password recovery messages sent from other services to reused addresses could be a security issue? Yahoo is too. The firm’s leaning on an email header dubbed “Require-Recipient-Valid-Since” that will only allow missives to be delivered if the recipient has confirmed that email with the sender after the date of the account transfer. While Facebook’s already onboard with the solution, other parties will need to bake it into their existing systems. Click the second source link to toss your hat in the ring for the perfect email address.

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Source: Yahoo (1), (2)

Spy on Your Own Email to See Exactly What the NSA Has on You

By now, we US citizens are all very very aware that our metadata is being harvested by "the man." It’s not the actual email or phone calls, but metadata still matters. And if you’ve wondered what it looks like, MIT’s Immersion project can help you out. The service that lets you snoop on your email metadata just like a government agency.

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Yahoo Mail adds simple Flickr photo sharing

Yahoo Mail adds simple Flickr photo sharing

Many criticized a pre-Marissa Mayer Yahoo for doing little to integrate acquisitions with its core services, even when they were popular services like Del.icio.us. We can’t accuse the company of negligence today, as it just added simple Flickr photo sharing to Yahoo Mail. Those drafting messages just have to tap an arrow to attach files from their photo streams, and they can sign up for Flickr on the spot. While there’s only so many of us who could use Flickr sharing right now, Yahoo teases that there are more Mail upgrades in the pipeline — it’s not done fighting Gmail and Outlook just yet.

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Source: Yahoo (Tumblr)