Proton

RIPE NCC is one of the five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) responsible for allocating Internet resources globally. RIPE NCC is a non-profit organization founded in 1992 that administers IP addresses in Europe and the Middle East.

RIR_Service_Regions_Map,_November_2014(new window)

As a fast growing email service provider (ESP) with a growing infrastructure footprint, it makes a lot of sense for Proton Mail to become a Local Internet Registry (LIR). As a LIR, Proton Mail now has our own allocation of IPv4 and IPv6(new window) addresses. This is an important milestone as we continue to grow. Presently, the European IPv4 space is nearly exhausted(new window), and the IPv4 allocation we have received as a LIR will ensure that Proton Mail has sufficient IPv4 resources to support all future growth.

A very important aspect of providing a good user experience is email deliverability. This basically means ensuring non-spam messages sent from Proton Mail accounts properly make it into the recipient’s inbox and are not flagged as spam. Many ESPs around the world use IP reputation to make this determination.

Having our own IPv4 block of addresses gives us the ability to move IPs between datacenters meaning if Proton Mail ever has to move into different facilities in Switzerland, we can keep our IPs with high reputation and continue to ensure good deliverability for our users. Having control over an entire block also means other IPs in our block can not be given out to third parties who may be engaged in spamming activities which would degrade the reputation of our IPs and lead to deliverability problems for our users.

With this recent step, Proton Mail now has control over our IP addresses, in addition to owning and controlling all our server hardware. Both of these are key elements which help us to ensure the highest level of privacy and reliability for our users over the long term.

Related articles

A phone screen with a speech bubble with a phone number in it
en
Your email address and passwords aren't the only information hackers can use to scam you. Here's what someone can do with your phone number — and how to protect it.
A web application screen with an unlock icon in the bottom right corner
en
Your best defense against a data breach could be improving your web application security: Find out how Proton Pass can help.
Investigative journalist Vegas Tenold explains the gear he uses to protect his privacy and stay safe.
en
  • Privacy news
Follow investigative journalist Vegas Tenold as he explains his gear and how it keeps him safe from surveillance as he works in the field.
Coinbase, the largest Bitcoin exchange in the US, suffered a data breach
en
  • Privacy news
  • Proton Wallet
Coinbase employees sold sensitive personal information to attackers, including government IDs and BTC transaction history. Proton Wallet is built to avoid these risks.
Whistleblower's whistle. Journalists must use secure channels to communicate with whistleblowers.
en
Whistleblowers risk everything to expose the truth. This guide helps journalists keep their sources safe using secure tools like Proton Mail, Signal, and SecureDrop.
An image showing a phone screen with a child icon and three icons with '17+' '8-12' and '3-5' to indicate age ratings
en
Parents can help their children develop healthy screen habits by learning about dark design patterns — Proton investigates how