Since email is inherently anti-privacy, what is the point of Protonmail and similar services?
Reddit question: Since email is inherently anti-privacy, what is the point of Protonmail and similar services?
Here are 10 key points that summarize the Reddit responses and subsequent discussion surrounding that question about ProtonMail and email privacy:
Cost of Privacy: The original poster questions the value of paying for ProtonMail when email inherently lacks full privacy, particularly noting the expense compared to free services like Gmail or iCloud.
Email Privacy Limitations: When encrypted services, like ProtonMail, communicate with other email providers (GMAIL, for example) then the emails must be sent as non-encrypted. Only ProtonMail to ProtonMail email is encrypted.
ProtonMail's Benefits: ProtonMail offers end-to-end encryption for Proton to Proton communication, meaning these emails can't be read by ProtonMail itself, enhancing privacy for internal communications.
Swiss Privacy Laws: This is actually an important privacy factor. ProtonMail operates under Swiss jurisdiction, which theoretically offers better privacy protection compared to U.S. laws, although this doesn't eliminate all privacy risks. It's going be a lot harder for the authorities to snoop around when the emails are located outside of their jurisdiction.
Data Mining Concerns: Users express concerns over data mining by companies like Google, highlighting that even outgoing emails might be scanned for marketing purposes, whereas ProtonMail does not engage in such practices.
Use of Aliases: ProtonMail provides features like email aliases which can help maintain privacy by creating separate email identities for different services or interactions, reducing the ability to profile users.
Protection from Third-Party Access: If ProtonMail receives a court order, they can only provide non-content data like email addresses involved in communications, not the content of encrypted emails.
Alternative Uses: There's discussion on using email primarily for non-sensitive communications like account verifications or receiving information, where privacy might still be beneficial.
Security vs. Privacy: The conversation touches on the difference between security (preventing unauthorized access) and privacy (controlling who has access to your data), with ProtonMail focusing on the latter.
Economic Model: ProtonMail's business model relies on subscriptions rather than data sales, aligning their financial incentives with user privacy, unlike ad-supported models which might exploit user data for revenue.
These points capture the essence of the debate over the utility and limitations of ProtonMail in enhancing email privacy within the current digital ecosystem.
Link to the original question: Since email is inherently anti-privacy, what is the point of protonmail and similar services?