They didn't get shut down by any federal agency. The owner chose to commit suicide (not literally of course) rather than to hand over private user data.
The fact that no one's data was compromised is a victory to all. Yeah they all suffered a loss but at least Lavabit kept it real to the end unlike other similar service providers
that make false promises.
Well, the feds came calling and the provider shut down. It's a case of jump-or-be-pushed, however 'honorable'.
This experience has taught me one very important lesson: without congressional action or a strong judicial precedent, I would _strongly_ recommend against anyone trusting their private data to a company with physical ties to the United States.
Sincerely,
Ladar Levison
Owner and Operator, Lavabit LLC
Such as
Lavabit for example?
Levison stressed that he has complied with "upwards of two dozen court orders" for information in the past that were targeted at "specific users" and that "I never had a problem with that."
Where is your data now?