The thing to remember about Proton repeatedly making terrible choices is that it has been entirely unforced; they could have just quietly accumulated users, focused on building a sustainable business, and so forth.
But no, Andy Yen had to have more, and here we are, with them sponsoring far-right YouTubers.
Please stop giving them new business, and reconsider your own usage.
https://chaos.social/@slothrop/116704333247257385
See also this thread;
https://ngmx.com/@sindarina/116180933465739491
And this post;
https://ngmx.com/@sindarina/115195928506761246
There's plenty of evidence for them being a terrible choice, at this point. Stop recommending them as a viable alternative.
Another reason to not use Proton, folks;
"Privacy-focused email provider Proton Mail provided Swiss authorities with payment data that the FBI then used to determine who was allegedly behind an anonymous account affiliated with the Stop Cop City movement in Atlanta, according to a court record reviewed by 404 Media."
https://www.404media.co/proton-mail-helped-fbi-unmask-anonymous-stop-cop-city-protestor/
Previously, from just over a year ago;
https://theintercept.com/2025/01/28/proton-mail-andy-yen-trump-republicans/
And a reminder that, with more than 100 million users, they are Big Tech;
https://proton.me/blog/proton-100-million-accounts
If you do not like Apple's marketing of its privacy claims, you should be just as wary of Proton's, including their positioning of themselves as champions of online freedom and a better internet.
Yes, including those fundraisers;
And, related;
"THE COMPANY BEHIND the Proton Mail email service, Proton, describes itself as a 'neutral and safe haven for your personal data, committed to defending your freedom'.
But last month, Proton disabled email accounts belonging to journalists reporting on security breaches of various South Korean government computer systems following a complaint by an unspecified cybersecurity agency. After a public outcry, and multiple weeks, the journalists’ accounts were eventually reinstated — but the reporters and editors involved still want answers on how and why Proton decided to shut down the accounts in the first place."
Proton is Big Tech, y'all.
https://theintercept.com/2025/09/12/proton-mail-journalist-accounts-suspended/
