They did server-side crypto for email, so they had the keys to decrypt. Maybe those keys were locked with users' passwords (like Lavabit), but they couldn't ru

They did server-side crypto for email, so they had the keys to decrypt. Maybe those keys were locked with users' passwords (like Lavabit), but they couldn't run a functional server without having the plaintext visible to the server at some points. Silent Circle's other services do everything on the client, so it's impossible to backdoor the server. However, that would protect them against the demands that Levison encountered. For example, the secret court may have a broadened interpretation of CALEA [1] that would make Silent Circle's services non-compliant. I'm not a lawyer, but if Silent Circle is classified as a telecommunications provider, then CALEA already requires them to have built it with real-time surveillance capability without tipping off either party involved in the communication. Since their system prevents this by design, I wouldn't be surprised if they get shut down entirely in the short term. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CALEA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CALEA