With 100 million+ customers, Proton Mail is the most important privacy-oriented e-mail service. I think about it among the many finest, particularly when used correctly and ideally. We’ll come to these particulars later, however first, I’ll make clear that I’ve been a contented consumer of Proton Mail (with my very own area), Proton Calender and different Proton instruments since 2023, 9 years after its delivery. Proton Mail is the most important really end-to-end encrypted e-mail internet hosting service since 2014. Proton Mail is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and is owned by the non-profit Proton Basis by its subsidiary Proton AG. Proton Mail makes use of true client-side encryption to guard e-mail content material and consumer information earlier than they’re despatched to Proton Mail servers, not like different frequent e-mail suppliers reminiscent of Gmail and Outlook.com (Hotmail.com). Not even Proton has the keys to the encryption. Solely the metadata is unencrypted. After all, encryption is usually misplaced in the event you talk with customers outdoors of Proton Mail, however that’s not the principle focus of this text.

Clarifying the privateness objectives by migrating

If you’re planning emigrate to Proton Mail, no less than one of many causes is more likely to be to get higher privateness. This goes past the contents of your e-mail messages. It is usually to cut back or get rid of Large Tech continuously understanding our actual location. As I lined in my 2024 evaluation Fairphone 4 with /e/OS privateness working system, normal Android (Google and iOS continuously report the gadget’s location to both Google or Apple respectively (many instances per hour) even when location providers are supposedly deactivated by the consumer. In reality, Google just lately settled the lawsuit about this by agreeing to pay U$93 million. Google is the proprietor of Gmail. By following the popular conventional migration from Gmail to Proton Mail (as lined forward), we cease utilizing the Google utility in our smarphone, and even connecting to the Gmail server from some other utility or browser.

Conventional migration

I’ve helped a number of of my shoppers emigrate by from their present e-mail (Google or in any other case) to Proton Mail. There are alternatives, relying upon how a lot historic mail exists, i.e. what number of TB, GB or MB —and the way a lot spam the consumer is presently receiving.

• If there’s a low quantity of historic e-mail (i.e nicely under the capability of the focused Proton Mail plan), the consumer can use the Proton’s Straightforward Swap to duplicate all of it. If their is a low quantity of spam arriving to the consumer on the previous tackle, then the total previous e-mail may be forwarded to the brand new Proton Mail tackle (with or with out a skilled area).
• Then again, if there’s a excessive quantity of historic e-mail (i.e. a lot greater than the capability of the focused Proton Mail plan), then the consumer shouldn’t use Proton’s Straightforward Swap to duplicate all of it, because it wouldn’t match. In that case, this historic e-mail can stay with the previous supplier (Gmail or in any other case) for entry solely occasional entry from a pc, to not be accesed from the smartphone, or it may be downloaded and accessed solely regionally on a pc. If there’s a excessive quantity of every day spam arriving to the previous tackle solely very particular return addresses or domains must be set to be forwarded to the brand new tackle, i.e. these few for some cause, you’ll be able to’t inform them of the brand new tackle or they’re unable to replace it. Within the case of Gmail that is simply executed frome a pc. That’s one of the best place to do it.

After forwarding, Google solely is aware of that it went to a server in Swizerland, nothing extra. With both of the 2 methods of doing a standard migration, it is suggested to tell the closest contacts in regards to the new tackle (household, mates, shoppers, banks, well being providers) and so as to add a observe within the signature, suggesting folks to replace your e-mail tackle to the brand new one. By doing this along with utilizing a privateness cellphone just like the one I reviewed in 2024 or my present Murena Fairphone 6 with /e/OS (not inventory Android) and by not putting in the Gmail app or in any other case connecting to the Gmail server from the smartphone, Google not has steady entry to the smartphone’s location.

What’s the new Gmail integration in Proton Mail and why to keep away from it

Proton has launched a brand new function that enables customers to seamlessly join their Gmail accounts immediately contained in the Proton Mail app. It could sound good at first, however it’s very dangerous. Once you use the Gmail integration inside Proton Mail, Google can see your originating IP tackle and related location information when your emails hook up with and go by their servers. As a result of the combination basically acts as a bridge on your present Gmail account, a number of components apply:

• E mail content material & routing: Emails despatched from or to your Gmail account are routed by Google’s servers, which means Google can learn them and see the place the e-mail originated.
• IP and site: Every time your e-mail program connects to Gmail, your gadget’s IP tackle (and due to this fact your basic geographical location) is logged by Google simply as it might be in the event you have been utilizing the official Gmail app.
• Proton’s safeguards: Whereas Proton strips monitoring pixels and advertisements from incoming Gmail messages to guard your privateness inside your inbox, it can’t stop Google from logging your connection information on their finish.

That is by Google’s personal admission! If you wish to masks your location from Google solely, you must keep away from connecting your Gmail account to third-party apps like Proton’s Gmail integration (or some other app that connects on to the Gmail server), because it requires granting entry to your Google Account. You need to observe one of many two attainable conventional migrations lined above, and in addition use a smartphone made for privateness like my present Murena Fairphone 6 with /e/OS (not inventory Android).

Integration of your skilled area with Proton Mail

All shoppers who host with my TecnoTur.LLC get free help to combine your area with Proton Mail. This contains the newest necessities for e-mail deliverability: DKIM, DMARC and SPF.

My general opinion about Proton Mail and Proton Calendar + strategies

I like every thing about Proton Mail and Proton Calendar. There are solely two essential and pending requests I’ve, one for every.

1. Please add full IDN help in Proton Mail, in order that accented domains will seem the good method, as a substitute of displaying them in Punycode. Your competitors already does it properly.
2. Please add 4-week upcoming show to Proton Calendar, along with Day-Week-Month. Your competitors already gives it. The 4-week upcoming show is a lot extra environment friendly and productive.

My upcoming e book

To be notified of its launch, go to GetPhonePrivacy.com or Privacidadtelefónica.com.

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Proton Mail incorpora integración directa con Gmail, pero la migración tradicional es mucho mejor