▁by ▁Snow den , ▁ab rupt ly ▁announced ▁it ▁was ▁shut ting ▁down ▁operations ▁after ▁nearly ▁ 1 0 ▁years ▁of ▁business . ▁The ▁owner , ▁Lad ar ▁Le vis on , ▁posted ▁a ▁statement ▁online ▁saying ▁he ▁would ▁rather ▁go ▁out ▁of ▁business ▁than ▁" be come ▁comp licit ▁in ▁cr imes ▁against ▁the ▁American ▁people ." ▁He ▁also ▁said ▁that ▁he ▁was ▁bar red ▁by ▁law ▁from ▁dis clos ing ▁what ▁he ▁had ▁experienced ▁over ▁the ▁preceding ▁ 6 ▁weeks , ▁and ▁that ▁he ▁was ▁appe aling ▁the ▁case ▁in ▁the ▁U . S . ▁Four th ▁Circ uit ▁Court ▁of ▁App e als . ▁Multiple ▁sources ▁spec ulated ▁that ▁the ▁timing ▁of ▁the ▁statement ▁suggested ▁that ▁Lav ab it ▁had ▁been ▁target ed ▁by ▁the ▁US ▁government ▁in ▁its ▁purs uit ▁of ▁information ▁about ▁Snow den . ▁The ▁following ▁day , ▁a ▁similar ▁email ▁service , ▁Sil ent ▁Circle , ▁pre empt ively ▁shut ▁down ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁" prevent ▁sp ying ". ▁Snow den ▁said ▁about ▁the ▁Lav ab it ▁closure , ▁" L ad ar ▁Le vis on ▁and ▁his ▁team ▁susp ended ▁the ▁operations ▁of ▁their ▁ 1 0 - year - old ▁business ▁rather ▁than ▁viol ate ▁the ▁Constitution al ▁rights ▁of ▁their ▁roughly ▁ 4 0 0 , 0 0 0 ▁users . ▁The ▁President , ▁Congress , ▁and ▁the ▁Cour ts ▁have ▁forgotten ▁that ▁the ▁costs ▁of ▁bad ▁policy ▁are ▁always ▁bor ne ▁by ▁ordinary ▁citizens , ▁and ▁it ▁is ▁our ▁job ▁to ▁rem