all-in-one privacy solution":["Proton Unlimited is een all-in-one privacy-oplossing"],"Black Friday":["Black Friday"],"No ads. Privacy by default.":["Geen advertenties. Standaard privacy."],"People before profits":["Mensen vóór winst"],"Security through transparency":["Veiligheid door openheid"],"The best Proton Mail ${ BLACK_FRIDAY } deals":["De beste ${ BLACK_FRIDAY }-deals voor Proton Mail"],"The world’s only community- supported email service":["'s Werelds enige door de community ondersteunde e-mailservice"]},"specialoffer:limited":{"${ hours } hour":["${ hours } uur","${ hours } uur"],"${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } and ${ secondsLeft } left":["Nog ${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } en ${ secondsLeft } resterend"],"${ minutes } minute":["${ minutes } minuut","${ minutes } minuten"],"${ seconds } second":["${ seconds } seconde","${ seconds } seconden"],"Limited time offer":["Aanbieding beperkt geldig"]},"specialoffer:listitem":{"Create multiple addresses":["Maak meerdere e-mailadressen aan"],"Hide-my-email aliases":["Hide-my-email-aliassen"],"Quickly unsubscribe from newsletters":["Meld u eenvoudig af voor nieuwsbrieven"],"Use your own domain name":["Gebruik uw eigen domeinnaam"]},"specialoffer:logos":{"As featured in":["Zoals te lezen in"]},"specialoffer:metadescription":{"Get an encrypted email that protects your privacy":["Kies voor beveiligde e-mail die uw privacy beschermt"]},"specialoffer:metatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday Sale - Up to 40% off":["Proton Mail Black Friday Sale - Tot 40% korting"]},"specialoffer:newmetadescription":{"Get up to 40% off Proton Mail subscriptions this Black Friday. Find great deals on our secure end-to-end encrypted email plans.":["Profiteer tijdens Black Friday van wel 40% korting op Proton Mail-abonnementen. Bekijk geweldige aanbiedingen voor onze veilige, end-to-end versleutelde e-mailabonnementen."]},"specialoffer:newmetatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday sale | Up to 40% off secure email":["Proton Mail Black Friday Sale | Tot 40% korting op veilige e-mail"]},"specialoffer:note":{"* Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["*U betaalt ${ TOTAL_SUM } voor het eerste jaar"],"*Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["*U betaalt ${ TOTAL_SUM } voor de eerste 2 jaar"],"30-day money-back guarantee":["30 dagen niet-goed-geld-terug-garantie"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["U betaalt ${ TOTAL_SUM } voor de eerste 2 jaar"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["U betaalt ${ TOTAL_SUM } voor het eerste jaar"],"You save ${ SAVE_SUM }":["U bespaart ${ SAVE_SUM }"]},"specialoffer:off":{"${ DISCOUNT } off":["−${ DISCOUNT }"],"${ PERCENT_OFF } off":["−${ PERCENT_OFF }"]},"specialoffer:testimonial":{"I love my ProtonMail":["Ik ben fan van ProtonMail"],"My favorite email service":["Mijn favoriete e-mailservice"],"Thanks Proton for keeping us all safe in the complicated internet universe.":["Proton houdt ons allemaal veilig in het complexe internetuniversum."],"You get what you pay for. In the case of big tech, if you pay nothing, you get used. I quit using Gmail and switched to @ProtonMail":["Je krijgt waarvoor je betaalt. In het geval van Big Tech betekent 'gratis' dat je wordt gebruikt. Ik ben gestopt met Gmail en overgestapt op @ProtonMail"]},"specialoffer:time":{"Days":["Dagen"],"Hours":["Uur"],"Min":["Min"]},"specialoffer:title":{"And much more":["En nog veel meer"],"Make your inbox yours":["Personaliseer uw inbox"],"Safe from trackers":["Beschermd tegen trackers"],"Stay organized":["Houd overzicht"],"Black Friday email deals":["Black Friday-deals voor e-mail"],"Don’t just take our word for it":["U hoeft ons niet te geloven"],"Our story":["Ons verhaal"],"Transfer your data from Google in one click":["Zet uw gegevens van Google over met één klik"]},"specialoffer:tooltip":{"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, connect up to 10 devices, access worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Bekijk geblokkeerde inhoud en surf privé. Met ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } servers in meer dan ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } landen, verbinding met maximaal 10 apparaten, wereldwijd toegang tot streamingdiensten, malware- en advertentieblokkering, en meer."],"Easily share your calendar with your family, friends or colleagues, and view external calendars.":["Deel uw agenda eenvoudig met uw familie, vrienden of collega's, en bekijk externe agenda's."],"Includes support for 1 custom email domain, 10 email addresses, 10 hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Ondersteuning voor 1 aangepast e-maildomein, 10 e-mailadressen, 10 hide-my-email-aliassen, gedeelde agenda's en meer."],"Includes support for 3 custom email domains, 15 email addresses, unlimited hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Ondersteuning voor 3 aangepaste e-maildomeinen, 15 e-mailadressen, onbeperkt hide-my-email-aliassen, gedeelde agenda's en meer."],"Manage up to 25 calendars, mobile apps, secured with end-to-end encryption, 1-click calendar import from Google, and more.":["Beheer tot 25 agenda's, mobiele apps, beveiligd met end-to-end versleuteling, agenda's van Google importeren met 1 klik, en meer."]},"Status Banner":{"At the moment we are experiencing issues with the Proton VPN service":["Momenteel werkt de dienst van Proton VPN niet naar behoren"],"Learn more":["Meer informatie"]},"Status banner":{"Learn more":["Meer informatie"],"Please note that at the moment we are experiencing issues with the ${ issues[0] } service.":["We ondervinden op dit moment problemen met de ${ issues[0] }service."],"We are experiencing issues with one or more services at the moment.":["We ondervinden momenteel problemen met een of meer services."]},"suggestions":{"Suggestions":["Suggesties"]},"Support":{"Sub category":["Subcategorie","Subcategorieën"]},"Support article":{"${ readingTime } min":["${ readingTime } min","${ readingTime } min"],"Category":["Categorie","Categorieën"],"Didn’t find what you were looking for?":["Niet gevonden wat u zocht?"],"General contact":["Algemene contactgegevens"],"Get help":["Krijg hulp"],"Legal contact":["Contactgegevens voor juridische zaken"],"Media contact":["Contactgegevens voor media"],"Partnerships contact":["Contactgegevens voor partnerschappen"],"Reading":["Lezen"]},"Support categories":{"Browse Proton product support":["Zoeken in Proton-productondersteuning"]},"Support category":{"There is no article in this category yet.":["Er zijn nog geen artikelen in deze categorie."]},"Support troubleshooting":{"--- Select ---":["--- Selecteren ---"],"App version":["App-versie"],"Browser":["Browser"],"Check if this helps":["Kijk of dit helpt"],"Choose a category for your question":["Kies een categorie voor uw vraag"],"Choose a product":["Kies een product"],"Did this solve your issue ?":["Heeft dit uw probleem opgelost?"],"Faster assistance is just a few clicks away — please make your selections":["Snellere ondersteuning binnen een paar klikken — maak uw keuze"],"No, contact support":["Nee, contact opnemen met ondersteuning"],"Proton account":["Proton-account"],"Proton Bridge":["Proton Bridge"],"Proton Calendar":["Proton Calendar"],"Proton Drive":["Proton Drive"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Proton Mail":["Proton Mail"],"Proton Pass":["Proton Pass"],"Proton VPN":["Proton VPN"],"Thank you for your feedback":["Bedankt voor uw feedback"],"Troubleshooting":["Probleemoplossing"],"What can we help with ?":["Waar mogen we u bij helpen?"],"Yes":["Ja"]},"support_modal_search_query":{"Search query":["Zoekopdracht"]},"support_search_button":{"Search":["Zoeken"]},"support_search_i_am_looking_for":{"I'm looking for":["Ik ben op zoek naar"]},"SupportForm":{"For a faster resolution, please report the issue from the Bridge app: Help > Report a problem.":["Om problemen sneller op te lossen, meldt u het via de Bridge-app: Help > Een probleem melden."],"Information":["Informatie"]},"SupportForm:option":{"Account Security":["Accountbeveiliging"],"Contacts":["Contactpersonen"],"Custom email domain":["Aangepast e-maildomein"],"Email delivery and Spam":["E-maillevering en spam"],"Encryption":["Versleuteling"],"Login and password":["Inlognaam en wachtwoord"],"Merge aliases and accounts":["Aliassen en accounts samenvoegen"],"Migrate to Proton":["Migreren naar Proton"],"Notifications":["Meldingen"],"Other":["Overig"],"Plans and billing":["Abonnementen en facturering"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Sign up":["Inschrijven"],"Storage":["Opslag"],"Users, addresses, and identities":["Gebruikers, adressen en identiteiten"]},"SupportForm:optionIntro":{"Select a topic":["Kies een onderwerp"]},"swiss_baseed_feature":{"Swiss based":["Gevestigd in Zwitserland"]},"Testimonial":{"Awards":["Awards"],"Customers":["Klanten"],"Featured":["Featured"],"Go to testimonial source":["Naar bron van testimonial"],"Reviews":["Reviews"],"Videos":["Video's"]},"Text":{"Find the plan that's right for you":["Vind het abonnement dat bij u past"],"If you need help, check out our ${ supportLink }.":["Bekijk onze ${ supportLink } als u hulp nodig hebt."],"The page you’re looking for might have been removed, or it could be an\nold link.":["De pagina waarnaar u op zoek bent, is mogelijk verwijderd, of u gebruikt een oude koppeling."]},"Title":{"On this page":["Op deze pagina"],"Related articles":["Gerelateerde artikelen"],"Share ${ thisPage }":["${ thisPage } delen"],"Thank you!":["Bedankt!"],"this page":["deze pagina"]},"Tooltip":{"More information":["Meer informatie"]},"tooltip_calendar":{"Create up to 20 custom & shareable encrypted calendars. On top of that, add up to 5 calendars from friends, family, colleagues, and organizations.":["Maak tot 20 aangepaste en deelbare versleutelde agenda's aan. Voeg daar bovenop tot 5 agenda's toe van vrienden, familie, collega's en organisaties."]},"tooltip_vpn":{"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, highest VPN speed, ${ TOTAL_VPN_CONNECTIONS } VPN connections, worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Bekijk geblokkeerde inhoud en surf privé. Met meer dan ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } servers in meer dan ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } landen, de hoogste VPN-snelheid, ${ TOTAL_VPN_CONNECTIONS } VPN-verbindingen, wereldwijde streamingdiensten, malware- en advertentieblokkering, en meer."],"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, highest VPN speed, 10 VPN connections, worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Bekijk geblokkeerde inhoud en surf privé. Met meer dan ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } servers in meer dan ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } landen, de hoogste VPN-snelheid, 10 VPN-verbindingen, wereldwijde streamingdiensten, malware- en advertentieblokkering, en meer."]},"version_history_label":{"Version history":["Versiegeschiedenis"]},"version_history_tooltip":{"Store up to ${ versionHistoryNumber } versions of each file for up to ${ years } years":["Bewaar tot ${ versionHistoryNumber } versies van elk bestand tot wel ${ years } jaar"]},"vpn_features_link":{"View VPN plans":["VPN-abonnementen bekijken"]},"vpn_features_useCase":{"Access blocked content and browse privately":["Bekijk geblokkeerde inhoud en surf privé"]}}},"unleashApi":"https://account.proton.me/api"};
// We need to import data (the framework context) from the server
// This Astro feature with define:vars works well but creates an inline script
// So we can't directly import the initFramework helper, we have to store the context
window.frameworkContext = frameworkContext;
})();
The US congressional antitrust report is a win for privacy | Proton
Late Tuesday night, a US congressional subcommittee investigating the major tech companies for anti-competitive practices released its much-anticipated report(new window). The document, over 400 pages long, describes an internet that is highly centralized around gigantic platforms that abuse their monopoly power to the detriment of internet users.
This report by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law is significant because it is the first time a US legislative body has formally acknowledged that Big Tech monopolies are harmful and called for specific reforms. The lawmakers confirmed what we have long argued(new window) about these companies’ anti-competitive practices: They make the internet less private, more expensive, and less free.
What is most encouraging about this report is that its findings have received bipartisan support, even though the creation of the report was led by Democratic members of a judiciary subcommittee. This issue has offered a rare patch of common ground in polarized Washington.
The report recommends a major overhaul of US antitrust laws to specifically combat the unfair practices of Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon. We will explain some of these recommendations below and how they relate to the Proton community and access to privacy.
Because of our position as a competitor and as a privacy-focused alternative to some of the existing Big Tech companies, antitrust investigators in both the US and the European Union have requested that we provide information about how anti-competitive practices affect Proton and online privacy. We were not legally required to respond to the US requests, but we responded to the subcommittee because this is a matter of vital public interest that will affect the future of the internet.
Indeed, we were encouraged to find that our submission was frequently cited throughout the report, suggesting that the subcommittee took a close look at the information we submitted in creating what is perhaps the most comprehensive report ever produced on digital antitrust issues. We hope it will lay the foundation for future legislative or regulatory change.
The report is too big to summarize exhaustively here, so we will focus on the areas that impact internet access, innovation, freedom, and privacy.
Self-preferencing and walled gardens
One of the big advantages of holding a monopoly position in any market is that you can use your dominance to further consolidate your monopoly. While Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon often do this by buying up potential rivals and expanding their market share, they also use a number of techniques that are unique to the new digital economy.
For example, Google, Apple and Amazon use their control over search listings they control to preference their own products in those listings. Google and Apple also design their software so that their apps are the default, and in some cases these defaults can’t even be changed. They also bundle and network their products and services in ways that make it extremely difficult for users to switch to another provider.
Worse, the report finds that Apple, Google, and Amazon engage in “tying,” in which access to a service is conditioned upon the purchase of another. Apple does this by requiring developers to use its in-app payment platform in order to access the App Store. When a company with monopoly power engages in tying, this is already illegal under US law. The report recommends clarifying and enforcing this regulation.
A 30% ‘tax’ on privacy-focused competitors
Google and Apple require developers who offer paid services to offer those services within the app via in-app payments. Those payments are subject to a 30% fee. There is no possibility to refer users to alternative means of purchasing those services. This is a far greater percentage than these companies would be able to charge in a competitive marketplace, and we have proposed allowing other payment processors to compete for in-app payments.
However, the size of the tax is not our primary concern. As the congressional report notes, Big Tech companies use their massive advertising revenues to offer free products to consumers, gaining enormous market share by undercutting competitors who rely on alternative business models, such as the freemium model used by Proton. At the same time, they are extracting a large fee from those very same competitors.
Often, this harms companies like ours, which charge consumers for premium features instead of spying on you and abusing your personal information for profit. Because we must pay a large portion of our revenue to our direct competitors, this slows down product development and harms our community.
Censorship and the threat of delisting
Perhaps the most cynical aspect of Big Tech’s abuse of power is the way they enforce all their other policies against developers on their platforms using the threat of delisting.
“Because of the severe financial repercussions associated with suspension or delisting, many Amazon third-party sellers live in fear of the company,” the report states. The exact same is true of Apple and Google, which run their app stores essentially as protection rackets, in which developers must follow the companies’ terms or essentially be put out of business through delisting.
Delisting means removal from the app store, and suspension typically involves blocking the developer from shipping software updates to existing app users — including security updates. This is an unacceptable violation of basic ethical principles. But it is all the more troubling because of what Apple has historically considered to be a violation of its rules.
For example, one feature of Proton VPN is the ability to unblock censored websites, and we submitted an updated description of our app that referenced this feature. Apple refused to accept the update, and we were forced to either comply or be removed from the App Store.
What is particularly clear from this report is that existing antitrust safeguards are not effective at constraining the anti-competitive practices of the Big Tech giants. Recognizing that digital platforms are fundamentally different is the first step toward creating the conditions for a free and open online marketplace. This report clearly makes the case that 19th century antitrust laws are inadequate for the 21st century.
It is encouraging that this reality is now recognized on both sides of the Atlantic. Drafting new legislation is no doubt a long and complex process, but the acknowledgement of the need for new legislation is a critical first step. In the coming years, we look forward to engaging with policymakers in both Europe and the US to work toward an internet that better serves and protects people.
UPDATE Jan. 26, 2021: The European Union is working on new legislation, the Digital Markets Act (DMA), to prevent Big Tech’s worst abuses and make the internet more competitive.
We also provide a free VPN service(new window) to protect your privacy. Proton Mail and Proton VPN are funded by community contributions. If you would like to support our development efforts, you can upgrade to a paid plan(new window). Thank you for your support.
Secure, seamless communication is the foundation of every business. As more
organizations secure their data with Proton, we’ve dramatically expanded our
ecosystem with new products and services, from our password manager to Dark Web
Monitoring for cr
On the subject of cybersecurity, one term that often comes up is brute force
attack. A brute force attack is any attack that doesn’t rely on finesse, but
instead uses raw computing power to crack security or even the underlying
encryption.
In this a
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act has become notorious as
the legal justification allowing federal agencies like the NSA, CIA, and FBI to
perform warrantless wiretaps, which sweep up the data of hundreds of thousands
of US citi
In response to the growing number of data breaches, Proton Mail offers a feature
to paid subscribers called Dark Web Monitoring. Our system checks if your
credentials or other data have been leaked to illegal marketplaces and alerts
you if so. Often
Your email address is your online identity, and you share it whenever you create
a new account for an online service. While this offers convenience, it also
leaves your identity exposed if hackers manage to breach the services you use.
Data breaches
Our mission at Proton is to help usher in an internet that protects your privacy
by default, secures your data, and gives you the freedom of choice.
Today we’re taking another step in this direction with the launch of our open
source password manage