Proton Mail fails activists, again—is it time to ditch the app for good?
Last week's news of Proton Mail helping the Spanish police identify and arrest a pro-Catalan protester is likely to have sent chills down the spines of activists in Europe and beyond.
Proton Mail is an encrypted and secure email app, and is hugely popular among journalists and dissidents alike who stand by the company's promise to protect their privacy. However, as part of a terrorism investigation, the Swiss-based privacy firm was required by law to hand over the personal data it had on the Democratic Tsunami's activist to the Guardia Civil.
This isn't the first time, either. In 2021, Proton shared the IP address details of a French climate activist with Europol officers.
Unsurprisingly, concerned commentators have criticized such behavior, wondering whether or not it's time to ditch the app for good. Some are even warning against using Proton's products altogether. The firm also offers Proton VPN, which features in TechRadar's best VPN guide, alongside other security tools, none of which were affected by these incidents.
So, is Proton Mail still a safe choice for activists? Well, this very much depends on how you use the platform. I have contacted Proton for comment, and am waiting on a reply at the time of publishing, so here is everything we know so far.
