Two firms, Silent Circle and Lavabit, have joined forces to build an email system that provides end-to-end encryption. They are hoping it will prove impossible for service providers to eavesdrop and crack.

According to a statement, "Our goal is to open source the protocol and architecture and help others implement this new technology to address the privacy concerns over surveillance and back door threats of any kind."

You may recall that Lavabit was the email service used by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and was shut down when the Fed's wanted access to all email clients.

The service will not be located in the US, due to laws that provide access data services while not allowing the companies involved to alert their customers. Silent Circle is located in Canada.