For Privacy, Phone Texts Pushed Over Encrypted Email

Companies offering services to keep Internet communication free from prying eyes are increasingly pushing private text-messaging applications rather than encrypted email, believing they would be unable to withstand pressure from the U.S. government to turn over email user data.

In the wake of revelations of National Security Agency monitoring of telecommunications and email traffic, two encrypted email services, Lavabit LLC and Silent Circle's Silent Mail, shut themselves down. The closures, they said, are an effort to block future records requests from the government that they view as overly broad. Silent Circle and several other companies now are pushing heavily encrypted messaging services for smartphones that they say are untraceable. The technologies could be useful for dissidents, journalists, even the government, the company says. On its website, Silent Circle says it counts intelligence agencies from five countries and defense forces in seven among its clients. But encryption firms don't screen who uses the technology, meaning it could also be used by criminals or terrorists. It is unclear what percentage of U.S. email traffic is encrypted.