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from the New Yorker piece my impression was that, for the FBI, the easiest way was to have the SSL keys, and the Judge didn't understand the implications so gra
by rtpg 13y ago
from the New Yorker piece my impression was that, for the FBI, the easiest way was to have the SSL keys, and the Judge didn't understand the implications so granted the request.
Initially, the FBI was willing to let Levison modify the site so that just the target would have his stuff intercepted . But Levison wanted to charge the gov't $3500 for the work, also asked for external audits to make sure the FBI wouldn't goof off with the info. The FBI stopped trusting him, and for them it was just easier to have the keys.
- bigiain 13y agoIt'd no-doubt be "easier" for the FBI to "do their job" if they had copies of everybodies house keys and office keys and safe-deposit-box keys too – so they could have a quick snoop whenever they got curious about whether you were doing anything wrong. But we don't let them force builders/landlords/lockmakers to hand everybodies private physical house keys over, just because somebody somewhere is doing $bad_thing inside a house. The FBI didn't trust him – boo hoo – they need to find another way to get their job done then. (Does anybody _really_ think this was about "trusting" Levinson? Or that it was instead about trying to strong-arm Levinson/Lavabit into illegally and immorally participating in the NSA's ubiquitous surveillance program, almost certainly something they've gotten so used to having work for them that they've forgotten that occasionally they'll bump into someone prepared to throw their business away instead of compromising about "doing the _right_ thing"?)
- HoochTHX 13y agoTrust is NOT a prerequisite for cooperation.