Proton VPN boss compares Switzerland to Russia and claims it could leave the country over proposed law
Proton VPN boss compares Switzerland to Russia and claims it could leave the country over proposed law
There are some good signals for now and it is unlikely this will pass:
The Federal Council has collected feedback on the planned revision of the Ordinance on the Surveillance of Postal and Telecommunications Traffic. There was hardly any positive feedback.
The Federal Council's plans to revise the Ordinance on the Surveillance of Postal and Telecommunications Traffic (Vüpf) have failed the consultation process: All major parties and numerous associations clearly rejected the plan.
https://www.inside-it.ch/vupf-revision-faellt-in-der-vernehmlassung-komplett-durch-20250507
Such a unified opinion across all parties in Switzerland is rare. This topic has also made the rounds in swiss medias recently with a big echo, it is fought by many swiss organisations and companies and as example Proton will leave Switzerland if it were to somehow pass anyway: https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/we-would-be-less-confidential-than-google-proton-threatens-to-quit-switzerland-over-new-surveillance-law
Do I need to quote the article for people?
Switzerland's current surveillance law instructs mobile networks and internet service providers (ISPs) to collect and store user data. The proposed change would extend this to VPNs, messaging apps, and social media companies.
Yen described it as a "major violation of the right to privacy" – something that directly contradicts Proton's "privacy by default" tagline.
"This revision attempts to implement something that has been deemed illegal in the EU and the United States," Yen claimed. "The only country in Europe with a roughly equivalent law is Russia."
His response seems accurate and reasonable.
Thanks for the sanity. I'd also add this quote:
"The law would become almost identical to the one in force today in Russia. It's an untenable situation. We would be less confidential as a company in Switzerland than Google, based in the United States. So it's impossible for our business model."
I think people read the headline and think he said they could operate in Russia when he clearly says they do not. Unfortunately he doesn't say which countries he would even consider moving the business to.
Probably because they have no idea where they'd move at this stage. Every year an encryption backdoor is proposed in the EU. The EU is not far behind the US when it comes to mass surveillance and the destruction of privacy.
Seems like Somalia would be perfect
And the rest of the comments didn't even bother to read more than the headline (as usual 😑).
People on Lemmy are suffering from a serious case of BEC and this thread is clear evidence of this guy being a target of it
I really don’t get why people follow this community just to shit on proton in every thread.
I shat on the CEO because he needed to do better, and this is a visible place to point that out.
For a company and application suite that is critical for privacy and security and bills itself as a privacy and security safe place, their number one job is to make sure that they're not doxing people or cooperating unnecessarily with government to dox people.
I fully support their idea to move to a country that won't compromise that mission.
It's like that on Reddit too. Sometimes I wonder if its outside agitators (like you see on places like r/Brave, r/CalyxOS, etc), or if its just idiotic people who don't know better...
Bitch eating crackers?
as in 'look at this bitch eating crackers like he owns the place'. someone you don't like does something harmless, but you'd criticize him no matter what he does.
A gaseous superfluid phase of matter in which all the particles have the same quantum state.
uhh.. sure?
No, the vulgar slang one.
"This revision attempts to implement something that has been deemed illegal in the EU and the United States," Yen claimed
What is he talking about? US and EU to some extent do store and track user data.
And don't the big names have a surveillance pact to share each others data?
the 'anglosphere intelligence alliance' is known as Five Eyes
That's only two and a half ass-holes. Who is missing from the US cumbag list?
The Swiss were not a part of that. After this, who knows, the United States would love to poke into the private lives of people who use Proton.
So just torrent on i2p. Jesus, these guys pretend a centralized for profit solution is the only option.
Why don’t you explain to this privacy focused community why backdooring encryption and VPNs is a good thing.
He's talking about a different Thing.
Trump appointed a Person that was heavily anti-big-tech. The Proton CEO congratulated him on this Choice, saying something along the Lines, I'm paraphrasing here, "this anti-big-tech guy is a big Win for the simple Man. 10 years ago, the Democrats were the ones who would have been the ones for the simple Man. now it is the Republicans. Congrats on your good Choice".
This comment was meant purely in the Context of this Appointment and not as an Endorsement of the wider Trump Government or its Actions but has been misinterpreted as such by a lot of People.
This is probably what the OP meant.
My gmail account is one of the last things I need to de-google. I had been thinking of proton for a while, but I am not so sure anymore.
Proton is nice for degoogling because it offers the whole suite. I will also think really hard whether I'll renew once the time comes. Don't want ti go through the whole process again but there certainly is sour after taste with Proton these days
What the fuck are you even talking about? The Swiss government wants to backdoor encryption, and the first thing you think is “oh look, a fascist”.
You buffoon.
He is a fascist trying to control governments. Why the fuck does he think he gets unequal representation. Oh right he is a corporate fuck that you give money to and !!pRiVaCy!!. Sorry, not sorry you got played.
Go cry somewhere to your corporate overlords bootlicker. I am done carrying water for business that will fuck everyone over once the time is right.
Produmb.
While I also do not like what he’s been saying recently, this time he’s actually right. If you read the article, he’s saying Switzerland trying to enact laws that will force VPNs to collect and store user data will be akin to what Russia is doing. And that Proton can’t operate in a country that does that and they will have to move.
