Notices by Proton Mail (protonmail@mastodon.social)

Are you OK with #GoogleBard #AI having insight into “your relationship dynamics”?

We’re not either! To prevent it from happening, check your permission settings in #GoogleMessages.

Read more on @Forbes : https://forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2024/01/28/new-details-free-ai-upgrade-for-google-and-samsung-android-users-leaks/)

To be on the safe side:
🔒 choose a messaging app that respects your #privacy: https://proton.me/blog/whatsapp-alternatives
🙅♀️ avoid using SMS: https://proton.me/blog/stop-using-sms

🗓️ Your schedule is none of our business.

Not all privacy products are created equally, so be careful who you trust. Avast - you don't always get what you pay for.

"Avast deceived users by saying its software would help eliminate tracking on the web — when it actually did the tracking itself."

https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/22/24080135/avast-security-privacy-software-ftc-fine-data-harvesting

We're upgrading our free plan.

Instead of sharing 1 GB between files and email, you'll now have:

5 GB for #ProtonDrive
1 GB for #pProtonMail

When we first started, people asked: how do I know Proton will still be around in 10 years?

This year, Proton turns 10. And while past performance doesn't determine future results, here's why Proton is able to sustain its mission over the long-term: https://proton.me/blog/sustaining-mission-over-time

Big tech fines in 2023 totalled $3bn for breaking laws on both sides of the Atlantic.

Here's a breakdown of long it took them to pay off their respective fines:

🔎 Google: $941 million – 1 day 4 hours
📦 Amazon: $111.7 million – 2 hours
👓 Meta: $1.72 billion – 5 days 13 hours
🍏 Apple: $186.4 million – 4 hours
🪟 Microsoft: $84 million – 3.5 hours

🧵 2 / 3

If you think big fines work on #BigTech, think again.

Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft generated enough revenue in the past 7 days to pay off their fines for 2023.

Taking advantage of your privacy is so lucrative, that these fines are nothing more than the cost of doing business.

🧵1 / 3

Here’s which Ad Privacy settings you should turn off on your Android device right now.

Just kidding, turn them all off.

Proton will not comply with any measures to weaken encryption for our UK users. While no one objects to increased online safety, we believe that it shouldn't come at the expense of the fundamental right to privacy. We don't believe that the majority of Proton's services will fall under the scope of the OSA; however, should we receive any requests under the Act to alter our encryption, we will be prepared to fight through legal means. (3/3)

European lawmakers also need to acknowledge this when considering similar legislation in the EU. It's not too late to stop #chatcontrol, and we encourage all of our EU-based users to contact their MEPs about this. (1/3)

As the #OnlineSafetyAct becomes law in the #UK without critical legal safeguards to end-to-end encryption, the internet as we know it faces a very real threat: https://proton.me/blog/online-safety-act

The Act could give the UK government the power to access, collect, and read anyone’s private conversations at any time. The UK Government has previously admitted that the proposals are "technically unfeasible," and we hope @Ofcom
keeps this front of mind during the implementation process. (1/2)

We thought Google hit rock bottom with #privacy.

Its new beta feature on Google Files for #Android called “Smart Search" is the trap door.

This creepy new feature on by default & scans every file on your phone. Why is this bad? Because it could potentially ruin your life. (1/3)

A new low, even for #Google. Giving Google permission to share information about you with third-party websites is being falsely advertised as an "ad privacy feature". This is privacy washing at its most extreme. But it gets even worse.

There is a dark pattern on the second screenshot. It isn't just informing you about the fake privacy features. Clicking on "Got it" actually turns on these features that allow Google to use your recent browsing history for ads on third-party websites:

Today, we're announcing Proton CAPTCHA, the world’s first CAPTCHA with built-in censorship-resistant technologies to prevent bot and spam attacks.

We needed a tool that tells the difference between humans and automated bots, but also a CAPTCHA option that meets the high security and privacy standards you expect from us.

This is only the beginning. You can expect more innovation in this space.

More: https://proton.me/blog/proton-captcha

So #Meta's new #Threads app needs your health and fitness info. It also needs your browsing history and your location, and your purchases, and...well, it seems to need everything. If you want to get fully creeped out, here's the whole #privacy policy: https://privacycenter.instagram.com/policy/.