A community for Lemmy users interested in privacy
Rules:
Stolen from @vmstan
More analysis from @wiredfire:
It’s nothing to do with [difficulties in using multiple platforms]. It’s to do with the massive backlash they got on Fedi for their CEO being all Trumpy and somewhat horrible right wing. So they’ve run away because they were made to feel unwelcome on account of us not letting their BS fly.
Original screenshot is of the bio of https://mastodon.social/@protonprivacy and wasn’t a post (that confused me for a sec).
I suggest Mullvad as an alternative to Protons VPN services.
Yeah, plenty of good VPN alternatives. Not so much for email though if you want encryption.
tuta.com seems a good option, I switched to them a few months ago and so far so good
Tuta is in Germany, part of the 14 Eyes, which share intelligence with the US. If you are an American engaged in activism under the current administration, do not use Tuta. They are absolutely obligated to comply with sealed warrants for your data, and nobody there is going to put their livelihood or freedom on the line for you, nor should they be expected to.
Seconded.
For anyone considering switching though, make sure:
I will say though, I found less sites throttled/blocked me on Mullvad in some cases, since Mullvad's IPs are less widely shared than Proton's, so that's a plus, but a few sites will have hard blocks on some VPN providers like Mullvad that they've made manual exclusions to for larger VPNs like Proton.
From what I understand, Mullvad removed port forwarding to clamp down on piracy.
At least we know where their loyalties actually lie, now.
Yeah, their Linux dev team consists of two people, who, I believe only handle Linux things as part of their responsibilities and there is no dedicated team. I’m not salty that people have been asking for a Linux drive client for 4 years and the only response came this year saying ‘there’s only two people we’re focused on mail and vpn clients at the moment’.
Not trying to take away from Yen saying dumb shit with the company account or any of the mounting criticisms they’ve earned of late. Just a point toward their explanation not actually being too far out of the realm of possibility. And the likelihood of their PR/Social Media team being similarly small to the point of being understaffed.
Like yeah, is this needlessly antagonistic and blunt? Sure, but that feels more down to bad copy than the actual intent and direction of a companies PR dept, right?
“Due to a need for consolidation in the face of limited resources we will no longer be able to maintain the scope of our current social media presence. This account will remain active and be updated automatically but for the foreseeable future it will be unmonitored. Please join us on Reddit or contact support if you have any questions! Thanks Mastodon, toot on!”
Explains more clearly the logistical need to limit focus without disregarding the importance of the community. Someone hire me, I need a job. Leaves the account open to be reactivated some day and there’s no reason they couldn’t automate posting there.
I get tired of being so right all of the time
I was tempted to cancel after the CEO comments on politics, Reddit is a bit much though.
Reddit privacy policy is dog shit, having a company advertise privacy and use Reddit is comical
Is it time to change VPN platforms?
ProtonVPN has more servers, so its less likely to be blocked than Mullvad or IVPN. When I was using ProtonVPN I see much less "Log in to prove you are not a bot" or the reddit snoo avatar getting mad at me for using a VPN (there are still Movies and TV discussions I'd like to read).
Nevertheless, I'm currently using IVPN, I'm not sure if I'm staying tho.
Also: For people in authoritarian countries (like actual ones that already censored the internet), it would be difficult to pay for a VPN since banks would also block the transaction and cryptocurrency is likely also banned, so ProtonVPN's free tier is their only choice. (I'm not in a country that has censorship yet, but just want to mention that some people are in that situation)
Also Mullvad is slow, I recommend IVPN over Mullvad.
Mullvad, lad
The ONLY reason I have Proton email, is because my bank thinks it's the only secure email in the world...
Are those people who have been quoted supposed to be significant to the privacy community?
I've looked through the links provided and read a couple articles (one is titled "Does Proton really support Trump? A deeper analysis and surprising findings" and it is all very he said/she said with almost nothing to back anything or anyone up...
I'll gladly read more if anyone has info?
The most significant quote is from Proton itself, which made an official statement in favor of Republican and JD Vance.
I haven't seen many people simply post archives to the now-deleted contents of what Proton said, which is pretty damning in its own right. Before Proton realized their mistake, started erasing their original replies, and crafting a much less damning-looking narrative.
I've reviewed the article that tries to ascertain Andy Yen's politics (as if doing this would have been less weird if it was unabashed love of Democrats) and I agree it's pretty bad in several ways.
Not surprising. Proton and their volunteer mods on /r/protonmail quash talk that doesn't make them look good. Plus there are a bunch of fanboys willing to defend whatever Proton does.
It's still one of the best services out there for people engaging in activities the US government disapproves of. Mullvad and Tuta are located in countries that work together with US intelligence as part of the 14 Eyes, and Sweden is also working on legislation to require backdoors into encrypted messaging. If you must use something other than Proton VPN out of some ideological bent, then Njalla or cryptostorm are the better VPN choices.
cryptostorm is a fast VPN that requires no account or other information, and access can be bought from resellers using crypto, making it impossible for cryptostorm to identify you out of all the people using their service, let alone turn over your data. I've used this VPN, and it was fast enough to play multiplayer shooters online.
Njalla is an infamous bullet-proof VPN and web host, that hosts several high profile piracy sites out of Costa Rica. They do not comply with demands for information or to take down services. It's a top choice for people who plan on sailing the high seas.
Both of these services allow port forwarding, something Mullvad does not due to piracy.