In February 2024, media reported that Indian authorities may decide to block Proton Mail. Proton Mail is still available in India despite any reports suggesting otherwise.
In response to hoax bomb threats that were sent through Proton Mail, some members of the Indian government suggested taking the extreme measure of blocking Proton. At Proton, we are resolutely against the use of Proton services for purposes that are contrary to Swiss law (Proton is a Swiss company). It would have been regrettable for Proton to have been blocked due to an issue in which we share a common interest with Indian authorities to eradicate illegal usage.
The issue has been raised to the attention of the Swiss federal authorities, who have been in contact with the relevant Indian authorities to prevent the blocking of Proton Mail in India. Thanks to this assistance, Proton Mail apps and other Proton products are available in India: You can access your email, download our apps, and sign up for an account.
We would like to express our gratitude to those in the Indian government and civil society who have spoken out against the suggested Proton Mail ban in order to defend the Indian public’s right to private and secure communications. Blocking access to Proton Mail simply prevents law-abiding citizens from communicating securely and does not prevent cybercriminals from sending threats with another email service, especially if the perpetrators are located outside of India.
We would like to reiterate that when it comes to abuse of our platform, we have a zero-tolerance policy. While end-to-end encryption means users’ emails, files, calendar entries, and passwords have strong privacy protections, it is not permissible to use Proton Mail for purposes that are contrary to Swiss law.
Under Swiss law, Proton is not allowed to transmit any data to foreign authorities, and we are therefore required by law to reject all requests from foreign authorities that are addressed directly to us. However, Proton is legally obligated to respond to orders from Swiss authorities, who do not tolerate illegal activities conducted through Switzerland and may assist foreign authorities in cases of illegal activity, provided they are valid under international assistance procedures and determined to be in compliance with Swiss law.
At Proton, we remain committed to the widespread availability of privacy globally and will engage responsibly with all stakeholders to ensure this remains the case, without compromising our core values. This includes continued investment in anti-censorship technologies such as Proton VPN(new window), alternative routing(new window), and our onion site(new window), which ensures that Proton continues to be accessible even in highly censored locations like Russia and Iran.
If the situation changes, we will update this article. Feel free to reach out to our support team if you have any questions or concerns.
