Clarification regarding Proton Mail, Belarus, and Ryanair flight 4978

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On May 26, 2021, an email sent to the Minsk airport was made public by investigative journalists working with dossier.center. The email in question was not leaked or obtained from Proton Mail.

As an encrypted email service, we do not have the ability to decrypt or read user messages. However, the message is readable on the receiving server in Belarus, and that was how a copy was obtained, as evidenced by the screenshots published by journalists. The only email sent to Belarus was published by dossier.center to demonstrate that the “bomb threat” was sent after Ryanair flight 4978 was redirected. It was never published by Proton.

Due to the usage of Proton Mail by Belarusian citizens to protect their privacy, attempts have been made by the Lukashenko government to block access to Proton Mail since summer 2020. We condemn these actions and also the recent actions involving Ryanair flight 4978. We are supporting European authorities in their investigations, as we are legally obligated to do so on the basis of an official request from the Swiss government.

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Proton Team

We are scientists, engineers, and specialists from around the world drawn together by a shared vision of protecting freedom and privacy online. Proton was born out of a desire to build an internet that puts people before profits, and we're working to create a world where everyone is in control of their digital lives.

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