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fliptop [soylentnews.org] writes:

Proton Mail provided Swiss authorities with payment data for defendtheatlantaforest@protonmail.com — the account linked to Stop Cop City protests in Atlanta. The FBI obtained this information [404media.co] through a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty request on January 25, 2024, identifying the activist behind the anonymous account through their credit card identifier [yahoo.com]:

Proton AG clarified they shared no data directly with the FBI — technically accurate but missing the point. Swiss authorities verified the case involved a shooting and explosives before complying with the legal order, then passed payment information along through established treaties.

Your email content stays encrypted, but paying with plastic creates a paper trail that encryption can’t touch. This isn’t a security breach; it’s feature functionality working exactly as legal frameworks demand.

This marks Proton’s third known disclosure to authorities. They previously handed over a recovery email for a Catalan Democratic Tsunami activist and were forced to log a French climate activist’s IP address via Europol — despite claiming they don’t log IPs by default.

Each case followed the same script: foreign law enforcement pressure, Swiss legal compliance, user anonymity compromised. Like watching the same Netflix thriller where the plot twist stops being surprising.

[...] No privacy service operates outside legal jurisdiction, regardless of marketing promises. Swiss privacy laws offer stronger protections than US providers, but “stronger” doesn’t mean “absolute” when mutual legal assistance treaties kick in.

Related:

• Is Proton Leaving Switzerland? "Legal Uncertainty" of Proposed Surveillance Laws Would be the Reason [soylentnews.org]
• Proton Expands its Private Tech Ecosystem With a Password Manager [soylentnews.org]

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