Interview with ProtonMail Zero Access Email Provider, Freedom Hacker
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Interview with ProtonMail Zero Access Email Provider

0)Please tell us, what is your role (in the email provider company, where do you stand, owner, marketer, advertiser etc)?

Co-Founder of ProtonMail

1) Does ProtonMail keep or enforce any logs, IP Addresses, Timestamps, Bandwidth caps, Traffic or other data on users?

We do not do any logging of user IP addresses. While it is possible in real time to see which IP addresses are connected to our server, we do not have the ability to match an IP address to a specific user account.

2) What type of Encryption do you use to secure emails?

We use a combination of symmetric (AES) and antisymmetric (RSA) encryption. Our architecture is zero access, this means we do not have the ability to decrypt and read user messages, and as a result, we cannot turn over any data to third parties.

3) Where are your servers located and what jurisdiction do you operate under?

Our servers are all located in Switzerland and our company is also incorporated in Switzerland. Being Swiss based has the advantage of being beyond the reach of US and EU surveillance laws and regulations. As a result, we can offer an even higher level of legal privacy protection compared to companies based in German or France where there the governments have broader surveillance powers.

4) How do you generally handle requests from law enforcement?

Requests from law enforcement are ignored unless they are accompanied by an enforceable Swiss court order. These court orders are extremely difficult to obtain as the case must first work its way through the Swiss legal system which has strong privacy protections. And even then, we do not have access to user encryption keys so any data we do turn over would be encrypted.

5) Do you track users in any way with trackers, advertisements, or cookies ?

We do not track our users in any way, in fact, no personal information is required to sign up for a ProtonMail account.

6) How much do your encrypted email services cost?

ProtonMail is available for free. For power users demanding more space or features, we also provide paid accounts and we accept anonymous payments via bitcoin or cash.

Check out the official ProtonMail website here!

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One Comment

  1. I believe this is the most secure and private email provider currently available.

    The only negative thing is 500mb storage, and that you can’t access ProtonMail using POP/IMAP, and even if you could, everything would be downloaded in its encrypted form. And thus the reason they make available their own mail app specifically for ProtonMail on mobile devices (if you don’t use the web browser).

    I’d love to switch to them, but the limited space, and unable to transfer personal domain, or download emails (for local backup) is (sadly) not currently possible.