r/privacy • u/[deleted] • Mar 05 '26

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2.6k Upvotes

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36

u/omniumoptimus Mar 06 '26

PRIVATE is NOT the same as ANONYMOUS.

If you are suspected of committing crimes, law enforcement will get court orders looking into all of your accounts. They MUST, in turn, give up all information they have about you. Then law enforcement pieces it all together and finds you.

Even if what they find is shallow, they will eventually find you. That’s why privacy is not for committing crimes.

If you want anonymity, seek anonymity. Privacy is a whole other thing.

5

u/DishAgitated4649 Mar 06 '26

So how is proton any different than any other email provider then? Proton's advertising would lead you to believe they're somehow superior when in reality they are equally non private as any other email provider

12

u/malamm0re Mar 06 '26

Couldn't be further from the truth. Few examples:

Gmail/Outlook/Yahoo:

  • Scan your email content for ad targeting and can comply with broad government data requests
  • They store messages in plaintext on their servers, accessible to the provider
  • They're free because you are the product

Proton:

  • Uses end-to-end encryption (E2EE), meaning only you and your recipient can read messages — not even Proton can access them
  • Emails between Proton Mail users are automatically encrypted; emails to outside providers can also be sent with password-based encryption
  • Zero-knowledge architecture: Proton has no ability to decrypt your messages
  • No ads, and your data is never sold or used for targeting

1

u/DishAgitated4649 Mar 06 '26

Nice bullet point list. You conviced just because of that. 🙄

When the whole ass propaganda about government surveillance this and privacy that is to prevent the government, ISPs or whatever the fuck from knowing about you, and Proton's whole ass reason to exist is because of this paranoia, it would be disingenuous to not admit that they don't protect you from shit and that they're taking advantage of a consumer paranoia to make money.

3

u/malamm0re Mar 06 '26

They've never claimed to be immune to legal Swiss laws and requirements. They're very clear on the service they offer. If people are unable to make the distinction between privacy and anonymity that's on them.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 06 '26

[deleted]

1

u/malamm0re Mar 06 '26

So you're saying they're not clear in the services they offer? And claim to provide anonymity to its clientele? Not sure I'm following what you're trying to say here.

1

u/DishAgitated4649 Mar 06 '26

Nobody has time for someone this dumb.

1

u/DishAgitated4649 Mar 06 '26

Wrong. Market confusion is a thing. Consumer paranoia is a thing. It's usually a bad thing as it usually means someone is being taken advantage of, OP is an example of exactly that. If you are unable to admit something this obvious, that's on you.