Key Capabilities / Features

The know-how to optimize DIME—because we created it

Developed by Lavabit, the Dark Internet Mail Environment is a secure, open-source, secure end-to-end communications platform for asynchronous messaging across the internet.

Radically different from any other encrypted platform, DIME solves security problems others neglect. It's the only automated, federated, encryption standard that works with different service providers while minimizing the leakage of metadata without a centralized authority.

To support the DIME environment, we've created the Dark Mail Access Protocol—DMAP—and Dark Mail Transfer Protocol—DMTP—to replace IMAP. We've presented both protocols to the Internet Engineering Task Force for certification and adoption.

DIME solves problems that plague legacy standards and combines the best of current technologies into a complete system. You get the greatest possible protection—and your email stays fast and easy to use.
Three levels of encryption

DIME lets you select the security level that meets your needs and matches your mindset: trustful, cautious, and paranoid. The level your pick determines how your account operates—where encryption and decryption take place where your private key is stored.

How we are different

Where we've come from

Founder Ladar Levison launched Lavabit in 2004 on the principle that everyone—individuals, organizations and businesses—has the innate right to private, secure communication.

In 2013, we suspended service to protect our global customers when the U.S. government ordered us to release our Transport Layer Security private keys. To protect your digital privacy and freedom, we said no.

In 2014, we began development of the Dark Internet Mail Environment —DIME—a revolutionary end-to-end encrypted global standard, and extending Magma, our free, open-source mail server, for use with the new standard.