The unfortunate side effect of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden’s email provider Lavabit pulling the plug rather than complying with the feds is that a bunch of terribly unlucky Lavabit users are now left without an email account. It’s not every day you expect your email service to go all harakiri on itself because the government is sticking its nose everywhere Snowden has ever sat down.
A bunch of Lavabit users took to Twitter and Facebook to voice their displeasure because that’s what people do when something shitty happens. And sure, there are bigger things at play here than losing your email account (like the government’s manhunt for Snowden) but it’s not exactly a good thing when your email disappears without warning. I know I’d be more than slightly annoyed. Especially if I used Lavabit because I thought it was going to always be secure.
So here are a few of the unlucky folks, maybe we can help them figure out which email service — one that will preferably stay up — to move to next? Maybe they’ll eventually get to migrate nicely?
Damnit! Just lost my lavabit email accounts. Anyone know of a comparable email service? #victim #snowden #lavabit
— paulbr (@paulbr) August 8, 2013
So Snowden used Lavabit and now the rest of us lose all our emails as my fave ever email provider shuts down. Big thanks to the free West!
— Andy Page (@a_page) August 8, 2013
No seriously, this Lavabit thing sucks. I remember when I could reach my email account. #thanksNSA
— Trevor Nelson (@Zoness) August 8, 2013
Damn. I just got my lavabit address yesterday. 🙁 http://t.co/gqw11wAaBC
— David Huerta (@huertanix) August 8, 2013
Need to rethink my email migration strategy now, as lavabit’s been shut down : http://t.co/EkO8hQysZu I even paid… Feels like #1984
— hridaybala (@hridaybala) August 8, 2013
So annoyed by the fact that 2 of my email addresses have disapeared :s #Lavabit http://t.co/kFmxpYgHG1
— XeryusTC (@XeryusTC) August 8, 2013
It was the greatest email service: https://t.co/huSabEb7zX It was my main account and loved it. #lavabit lavabit #Obama #email
— Neptune78 (@Neptune_33) August 8, 2013
I’m giving the Federal Govn’t a big FUCK YOU ASSHOLES for forcing Ladar to shut down lavabit. Now I can’t access my lavabit email account.
— achorripsis (@achorripsis) August 8, 2013
Well there goes my favorite, free and private email service; thanks, American Government! http://t.co/sOKn9Xm0c5 #fuckTheNSA
— Nick (@cyan_edge) August 8, 2013
crap there goes my email. have to change a lot of accounts now… #lavabit
— Stefan (@Goldenwayne) August 8, 2013
stoopid gvmt forced the hand of my email provider… everyone should be APPALLED by this!!!!! #lavabit https://t.co/Y6x90RBzhH
— Jen Perez (@realMrsMinus) August 8, 2013
Lavabit probably issued a national security letter. Let’s not sugar coat this. The government killed my email.https://t.co/rJUz6ZeGk2
— Dan (@Dan_Jon) August 8, 2013
Dang it! I found a bunch of projects tied to my #Lavabit account. I’ll have to re-purchase the set from ICloudCenter… Over $400 trashed.:(
— Turin Aramaia (@TurinAramaia) August 9, 2013
Lavabit is the service I use and what Eric Snowden uses. Fuck government. This makes me sick to my stomach.
— DAVID CHAVEZ (@iamdavidchavez) August 9, 2013
Also got bit in the ass by some data loss today with #Lavabit shutting down. Will be backing up my data more frequently going forward.
— Ryan (@ryanb) August 9, 2013
forced to make a difficult decision: become complicit in crimes against the American people or shut down Lavabit; fuck USA! I lost my e-mail
— Nahuel (@Ng3n) August 8, 2013
Hang in there, peeps.