Proton

Proton
Basic information
Founded	2014
Legal Structure	Private
Industry	Technology, Telecommunications, Computer hardware
Also known as
Official website	https://proton.me

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Proton AG is a Swiss company known for its commitment to privacy and security in the digital realm. Founded in 2014 by scientists from CERN and MIT, Proton is most commonly associated with its flagship product, Proton Mail, which offers end-to-end encrypted email services. Proton AG has expanded its offerings to include various services that cater to individuals and organizations seeking private secure communication solutions.

Consumer impact summary

Overview of concerns that arise from the conduct towards users of the product (if applicable):

User Freedom
User Privacy
Business Model
Market Control

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User freedom: In order to create a Proton account, users accept Proton's Terms of Service, which include a forced arbitration agreement and class action waiver.^[1]

Business model:The company operates under the principles of transparency and user privacy, ensuring that user data is protected from unauthorized access.

Incidents

This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the Proton category.

Proton starts moving their infrastructure out of Switzerland

Proton AG is relocating most of its infrastructure out of Switzerland in response to proposed changes in Swiss surveillance laws that threaten user privacy.^[2]^[3] The amendments would require companies, including VPNs and messaging services, to identify users and retain their data, which contradicts Proton's commitment to providing secure and private services. To maintain its privacy standards, Proton plans to move its infrastructure to countries like Germany and Norway, where it can operate without the risk of mass surveillance.

CEO Andy Yen has emphasized that if these laws are enacted, Proton would be less confidential than competitors like Google, making it unsustainable for their business model.

Proton suspends journalists accounts who investigated North Korean cyberattacks (2025)

Main article: Proton Mail discloses activist IP address to police

In June of 2025, writers for the magazine Phrack were investigating cyberattacks from a North Korean group that targeted South Korea's defense infrastructure. The writers disclosed the news of this attack through a dedicated Protonmail account that would only be used for informing South Korea. At the start of August they stopped receiving communication from South Korea, and on August 15th, their dedicated account for disclosure was suspended. The next day a journalist's personal Proton account was suspended as well. When the suspension was appealed, Proton rejected the appeal stating "your account will cause further damage to our service, therefore we will keep the account suspended." After numerous attempts to make contact with Proton, Phrack reached out publicly via X to Proton. Proton responded saying they had received an alert from a CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) who claimed hackers were misusing the specified Proton accounts. The journalists' accounts were re-instated the day after, but the CERT who made the report was not identified.

Products

Lumo AI
Proton Authenticator
Proton Calendar
Proton Docs
Proton Drive
Proton Mail
Proton Meet
Proton Pass
Proton Sheets
Proton Wallet
Proton VPN
SimpleLogin
Standard Notes

References

↑ "Terms of Service". Proton. 2025-12-02. Archived from the original on 26 Jan 2026. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
↑ Maguire, Eamonn (23 July 2025). "Introducing Lumo, the AI where every conversation is confidential". proton.me. Archived from the original on 21 Feb 2026. Retrieved 12 Aug 2025.
↑ Naprys, Ernestas (19 May 2025). "Proton threatens to leave Switzerland amid proposed law changes". cybernews.com. Archived from the original on 1 Nov 2025. Retrieved 12 Aug 2025.

[1] "Terms of Service". Proton. 2025-12-02. Archived from the original on 26 Jan 2026. Retrieved 2026-01-04.

[2] Maguire, Eamonn (23 July 2025). "Introducing Lumo, the AI where every conversation is confidential". proton.me. Archived from the original on 21 Feb 2026. Retrieved 12 Aug 2025.

[3] Naprys, Ernestas (19 May 2025). "Proton threatens to leave Switzerland amid proposed law changes". cybernews.com. Archived from the original on 1 Nov 2025. Retrieved 12 Aug 2025.

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