At Proton, we are fighting for a better internet where privacy is the default. This is a challenging and important mission that requires a collective effort. Since we launched Proton Mail in 2014, we have been excited to see more people care about privacy and more companies work on this problem.
For this reason, we’re happy to announce today that SimpleLogin(new window) has joined Proton to help further our shared mission. We have been following SimpleLogin closely for a long time as many Proton Mail users utilize it to prevent their Proton Mail addresses from being leaked to spammers.
SimpleLogin is a browser extension, web app, and mobile app that provides you with anonymous email addresses whenever you sign up for a new online service. As the name suggests, it is a simple way to create a login, generating an email alias for you so that you don’t need to disclose your real email address. If a service you sign up for gets hacked, sends you spam, or sells your email to advertisers, you can disable that email alias to safeguard your inbox. This makes SimpleLogin a complementary service to Proton Mail, with Proton Mail protecting your data privacy with encryption while SimpleLogin prevents malicious actors from exploiting your real email address.
What does this mean for Proton and SimpleLogin users?
In the coming months, we will better integrate SimpleLogin functionality into Proton Mail, meaning the Proton community will be able to hide their email addresses using SimpleLogin. If you already use SimpleLogin with Proton Mail, things will continue to work the same as before. SimpleLogin will continue working as a separate service, and the SimpleLogin team will continue building new features and adding functionality, but now with the benefit of Proton’s infrastructure and security engineering capabilities.
Why SimpleLogin?
Proton has a unique philosophy and set of values. We began as a crowdfunded project, and we have always put people and the Proton community first. As former scientists, we are strong believers in peer review and transparency. Proton’s encryption follows open standards, and all the Proton apps you run on your devices are fully open source.
In the privacy space, SimpleLogin is one of the few organizations whose values align with our own, and it is therefore quite natural for us to work together. Not only is there a product fit, but there is also a culture fit as SimpleLogin is also an open-source company. There’s also a match in terms of geography. SimpleLogin, like Proton, is a European company, located next door to Switzerland in France.
This proximity and alignment of values mean we can join forces while continuing to bring improved privacy to both our communities without changing what has made Proton or SimpleLogin much loved services. We look forward to fighting for your privacy rights and serving you for many years to come.