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;
})();
Swiss laws and encryption protect Proton users from abortion-related data requests | Proton
The United States is notoriously weak on privacy laws. With its secret surveillance courts and all-powerful spy agencies, the US has many tools to collect data on people within its jurisdiction and beyond.
Recently, that power has been used to prosecute women. Even before the US Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion in 2022, many states had passed laws restricting abortion rights.
To prosecute those cases, investigators have used chat logs, location data, and web searches stored on the servers of American companies like Google and Meta, as TechCrunch recently reported(new window). Sometimes these data requests affect people that haven’t broken any laws.
Instead of protecting their users’ data, companies like Google usually surrender it to the police. There are two reasons for this:
They’re based in the US Companies are subject to the laws of the country in which they operate. In the case of Google, Meta, and many other tech companies, that means they must comply with any valid court order to provide user data to law enforcement agents.
They don’t use end-to-end encryption While end-to-end encryption is now offered in some Big Tech apps, most user data remains accessible to the companies providing the service. That includes things like emails in Gmail, chats in Facebook Messenger with the default setting, and Google searches. If the data were end-to-end encrypted, the companies wouldn’t be able to disclose it to third parties.
When it comes to Proton, because we’re a Swiss company, we don’t comply with US laws. And because of the kind of encryption we use, we don’t have access to the vast majority of user data.
This article explains why people that use Proton are uniquely protected from US data requests.
Law enforcement agencies regularly request information from companies when they believe it might help them with an investigation. Google and Facebook each receive hundreds of thousands of requests per year from around the world.
These can include situations ranging from terrorist attacks and missing persons cases to more minor crimes. And the data requests could involve any piece of data a company stores, including:
Account information, such as IP logs, account sign-ins, and credit card information
Location information, including whether you visited a specific address that was the scene of a crime (known as a geofence warrant)
Communications, including emails, chats, calls, and voice messages
Search history, including dragnet requests for any user who has searched a particular keyword (known as a keyword warrant)
Media, such as images, videos, and documents in your cloud drive
In the US, there are different legal requirements for different types of requests. For example, it’s easier to obtain account information than email contents. In some cases, even when a full-blown search warrant is required, the government can make dragnet requests, scooping up data from random people who are not suspected of a crime.
The US also has a secret court created under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows the government to set up electronic surveillance. Google says it grants hundreds of thousands(new window) of FISA Court requests per year.
Google and Facebook say they carefully review every request. If they believe a request is improper or overly broad, they may fight it. But according to their transparency(new window)reports(new window), the two companies comply with most requests.
The consequences of not complying can be fatal to businesses: The email provider Lavabit decided to shut down(new window) rather than turn over private keys that would have given the government access to Edward Snowden’s emails. As we have written before, the lack of oversight, secretive warrants, and lack of strong privacy laws simply rules out the US as a credible home for any company that claims to protect user privacy.
How data requests work in Switzerland
Switzerland is a fundamentally different environment. Two of the things Switzerland is most famous for are also highly conducive to data protection: privacy and neutrality.
When a law enforcement agency in the US requests user data from a Swiss company, it is illegal for that company to provide the data. At Proton, we reject all data requests from foreign agencies.
Proton and other Swiss companies will only hand over user data when ordered to do so by a Swiss authority. And even then, Proton’s general policy is to challenge data requests whenever possible and only comply after all legal remedies have been exhausted.
Swiss laws are much more protective of individual liberties than US laws. For instance, the US and the EU have the ability to monitor users without the subject’s knowledge. In Switzerland, prosecutors must eventually notify the person being targeted of monitoring so they have a chance to appeal the surveillance. And there are no secret national security courts.
In Switzerland, electronic monitoring is covered under the Swiss Federal Act on the Surveillance of Postal and Telecommunications Traffic. When the law was updated in 2020, Proton challenged the changes and won a court decision that email services are not required to retain user data for monitoring.
Even though privacy and neutrality are embedded in the national ethos, being in a privacy-friendly legal jurisdiction is not sufficient. Proton uses multiple layers of technological safeguards to further protect user privacy.
Data is encrypted by default
It’s easy to see why law enforcement agencies file millions of data requests to companies like Google and Meta — their entire business models are based on surveillance.
By contrast, Proton’s business model is to provide user-friendly and privacy-focused services to our community. To uphold our commitment to privacy, we have purposely built our products to collect as little user data as possible.
This starts with the end-to-end encryption and zero-access encryption that is included by default in Proton Mail, Proton Calendar, and Proton Drive. Whenever you send an email or create a calendar event, Proton encrypts the data before it leaves your device using your private key. Only your password can unlock your private key, and only you know your password.
As a result, Proton doesn’t have access to the contents of your emails, calendar items, or drive files. Even if a Swiss court ordered us to hand over data, we would only be able to provide a few categories of information, which you can learn about in our Privacy Policy.
What if US police requested data in an abortion case?
To illustrate the difference between US tech companies and Swiss tech companies, here’s an example of what might happen if police in the US requested data on a user suspected of having an abortion in violation of state law.
Let’s say the police filed a data request to Proton requesting the contents of emails between the suspect and a person from whom they received abortion pills. In that case, Proton would reject the request because it would be illegal for us to disclose user data without a valid Swiss order from Swiss authorities.
If the US police subsequently sought to obtain an order in Switzerland through international legal assistance, the Swiss authorities would almost certainly reject the petition because abortion is legal in Switzerland. Even if somehow the Swiss authorities agreed to order the data disclosure, Proton would challenge the order.
Finally, if all legal measures were exhausted and Proton was forced to hand over user data, the user’s email messages or attachments would be encrypted and inaccessible to the US police.
By comparison, when US authorities have requested similar data from Google and Meta, the companies turned over the unencrypted chats and other info as required by law.
Final thoughts
Whether it’s abortion prosecutions or targeting whistleblowers, the US has demonstrated it can be extremely hostile to privacy. The Snowden disclosures of mass surveillance programs and the subsequent destruction of Lavabit are landmark examples.
While many data requests are meant to investigate serious crimes, the reality is that there’s no such thing as case-by-case data protection. The same weak privacy laws and weak encryption used to prosecute women in abortion cases or terrorists can be used by authoritarian governments to prosecute journalists and political dissidents.
Therefore, we must fight for strong privacy for all. In that fight, legal jurisdiction matters. As a Swiss company, Proton is proud to offer some of the strongest privacy protections in the world to our community.
Google is one of the biggest obstacles to privacy. The Big Tech giant may offer
quick access to information online, but it also controls vast amounts of your
personal or business data.
Recently, more people are becoming aware of the actual price you
If you’re a United States citizen or permanent resident, you have a Social
Security number (SSN). This number is the linchpin of much of your existence,
linked to everything from your tax records to your credit cards. Theft is a
massive problem, whic
Compromised passwords are a common issue and probably one of the biggest
cybersecurity threats for regular people. How do passwords get compromised, and
is there anything you can do to prevent it?
* What does compromised password mean?
* How do pa
WeTransfer is a popular service used by millions worldwide to send large files.
You may have wondered if it’s safe or whether you should use it to share
sensitive files. We answer these questions below and present a WeTransfer
alternative that may su
Dictionary attacks are a common method hackers use to try to crack passwords and
break into online accounts.
While these attacks may be effective against people with poor account security,
it’s extremely easy to protect yourself against them by usi
Data breaches are increasingly common. Whenever you sign up for an online
service, you provide it with personal information that’s valuable to hackers,
such as email addresses, passwords, phone numbers, and more. Unfortunately, many
online services f