Mastodawn

🅰🅻🅸🅲🅴 (🌈🦄)

I'm really disappointed that @protonprivacy CEO, Andy Yen, is a Trump supporter.

Proton has created some of my favorite privacy-protecting apps & services, and I regularly recommend their products to people, but I'm hesitant to send money in their direction now, as I'm not sure what it'll go to support.

Trump has made it clear that he gives zero fucks about the safety of BIPoC people, women, LGBTQIA rights, and trans folx in particular. And every dollar that gets contributed to that fascist dictator is a dollar that might be earmarked for my eradication.

---

Taken together, the following sources convince me that I'm correct in believing Andy Yen is pro-Trump:

- https://proton.me/blog/trump-control-nsa-privacy

- https://x.com/andyyen/status/1864436449942110660

- https://x.com/andyyen/status/1812442643726537182

---

That said, I don't think there's a reason to flee Proton just yet. Let's see if there's a response to this from @protonprivacy.

Also, as pointed out, Proton has built their products and policies to be resistant to shit like bad politicians or CEO that supports them. And while I don't think "neutrality" is a defensible stance when faced with a genocide-happy dictator, I think the risk to the Proton Foundation and Proton's products isn't critical at present.

#Proton #BIPoC #LGBTQ #Trump

Donald Trump will control the NSA – what this means for your privacy | Proton

Earlier this week, Donald Trump won a stunning election victory that will put him in charge of the world's most powerful mass surveillance infrastructure.

Proton

7sleepersmusic Jan 15, 2025

@protonprivacy @alice Ugh. Canceling.

Chris Mills Jan 15, 2025

@alice @protonprivacy this is disappointing to hear. Despite that I very much appreciate you sharing this.

deafhobbit Jan 15, 2025

@alice would you mind sharing receipts? the most i could find was a tweet saying he liked one of trump's nominees to DoJ antitrust because he thought she'd continue to pursue antitrust cases against big tech. i can't find anything suggesting he supports trump in general, though with how awful search is nowadays i could have missed something.

David P Jan 15, 2025

@alice @protonprivacy

I'm also very disappointed and concerned. I use @protonprivacy products and this news that their CEO is anti human rights makes me question their commitment to privacy and security and the quality of their products.

pospi Jan 15, 2025

@pewnack @alice @protonprivacy we've got to get away from the assumption that #privacy and #security are exclusively #HumanRights matters. They're highly desirable affordances for hate groups and others wishing to do harm covertly as well.

David P Jan 15, 2025

@pospi @alice @protonprivacy

I realise terrible people use privacy and security products. However, the needs of users who are fighting for #HumanRights should be front of mind for those developing #privacy and #security products and not those wishing to do harm to society.

pospi Jan 15, 2025

@pewnack @alice @protonprivacy if only we lived in that reality 😔

Li ~ Crystal System Jan 15, 2025

@pospi @pewnack @alice @protonprivacy
Idk bigots still say privacy is a human right they just think human rights actually apply to everyone

Kevin Gamin Jan 15, 2025

@alice @protonprivacy Great, another service I have to find an alternative to. Glad the truth is out.

The Doctor Jan 15, 2025

@kevingamin @alice @protonprivacy I need to get my shit moved over before my service renews for another year. Is there anything out there that isn't going to get milkshake ducked???

Kevin Gamin Jan 15, 2025

@drwho @alice @protonprivacy The one I’ve seen is @Tutanota, which has a free plan, so I can play with it before deciding to make a move.

Gwyn Ciesla Jan 15, 2025

@kevingamin @drwho @alice @protonprivacy @Tutanota I'd love to know if the Tuta leadership are better people than the Proton CEO.

Kevin Gamin Jan 15, 2025

@gwync @drwho @alice @protonprivacy @Tutanota That’s the question, isn’t it?

Kevin Gamin Jan 15, 2025

@alice @protonprivacy

Maybe it’s time for me to self host, put this fiber connection to good use.

Code of Amor 💘Jan 15, 2025

@alice @drwho @protonprivacy I'd be more inclined to send funds to European services in political safe havens.

The Doctor Jan 15, 2025

@codeofamor @alice @protonprivacy Are there any?

Code of Amor 💘Jan 15, 2025

@drwho @alice @protonprivacy I did research on it a long while back and yes, there are. But ultimately I ended up hosting my own mail server so didn't go down that path.

The Doctor Jan 15, 2025

@codeofamor @alice @protonprivacy I stopped hosting my own mail in '06. Did it since '96. Can't deal with that anymore.

Code of Amor 💘Jan 15, 2025

@drwho @alice @protonprivacy I understand. There are new things that do make it easier, but if you can have someone else do it the way you want, definitely do that. Look specifically at secure email services hosted in Germany, Switzerland, and some others. I remember them having an insane amount of features for a very low price.

rhosyn Jan 15, 2025

@drwho what are you using now?

The Doctor Jan 15, 2025

@rhosyn Protonmail.

Calamity Joan 😷Jan 15, 2025

@codeofamor @drwho @alice @protonprivacy Can you remember any of those providers? Asking for moi.

Code of Amor 💘Jan 15, 2025

@clickhere @drwho @alice @protonprivacy I could not, so I did some digging for you anyway, and here are the providers I would start with to narrow down the most suitable ones for me, if I was looking. Ones marked with an asterisk are those that I vaguely recall being on my original research list:

https://posteo.de (Germany)* Do read their sustainability section. I LOVE IT! "Posteo employees can have their bike repaired by a mechanic free of charge."
https://mailfence.com (Belgium)
https://mailbox.org (Germany)*
https://tutanota.com (Germany)*

Points to consider for each are features/restrictions/allowances, pricing, security practices, jurisdiction of data storage, how well they are ranked by security professionals, and others. I hope this helps with a starting point.

Email green, secure, simple and ad-free - posteo.de -

Posteo is an innovative email provider that is concerned with sustainability and privacy and is completely ad-free. Our email accounts, calendars and address books can be synchronised - we use comprehensive encryption.

Calamity Joan 😷Jan 15, 2025

@codeofamor @drwho @alice @protonprivacy Oh! Thank you so much. 😀🥹 And YES, that Posteo one sounds amazing - I want to work there!

Code of Amor 💘Jan 15, 2025

@clickhere @drwho @alice @protonprivacy 🥰😊🚲

Code of Amor 💘Jan 15, 2025

@clickhere @drwho @alice @protonprivacy Oh. Hahahah. How fortuitous! I have just read that you are a bicycle lesbian. Which to me, screams "ride me" but I presume means something more like "I use/love spoked two-wheeled transport" 😁😊

The Doctor Jan 15, 2025

@codeofamor @clickhere @alice @protonprivacy Hmm. I'll do some research and ask Switchboard when my Proton service renews.

(Spoiler alert: It was yesterday.)

Welp. Guess I've got a year.

Code of Amor 💘Jan 15, 2025

@drwho @clickhere @alice @protonprivacy I don't see the core values of ProtonMail altering so drastically within a year, but I feel the world will be yet again a different place then. I think your mail will be safe enough until then. Set a reminder though.

The Doctor Jan 15, 2025

@codeofamor @clickhere @alice @protonprivacy I already have one set.

To be honest, a couple of hundred bucks a year is a lot for me. So that factors in as well, but that piper is already paid so I've got some time.

Code of Amor 💘Jan 15, 2025

@drwho @clickhere @alice @protonprivacy That's a lot for me also! Ouch! I do things as much as I can on the skint. Money is not one of my more plentiful resources in this chapter of life.

The Doctor Jan 15, 2025

@codeofamor @clickhere @alice @protonprivacy It came in handy for un-fucking my credit score, I have to admit.

Christiano Anderson Jan 16, 2025

@codeofamor @clickhere @drwho @alice It's a great list, and Posteo is amazing, but they don't support using your own domain, IMHO this is the only downside. I'm using Mailbox, they support domain, the service is great.

Code of Amor 💘Jan 16, 2025

@canderson @clickhere @drwho @alice Thanks for weighing in - that's good to know.

Christiano Anderson Jan 16, 2025

@codeofamor @clickhere @drwho @alice However, Posteo has a valid reason for not supporting custom domains. The issue lies with some domain registrars, which can compromise user data through WHOIS queries, posing a risk to users' privacy. IMHO this is not entirely accurate, since numerous registrars offer privacy features.

Code of Amor 💘Jan 16, 2025

@canderson @clickhere @drwho @alice Indeed. I never use those that do not have this feature.

Code of Amor 💘Feb 13, 2025

@clickhere @drwho @alice @protonprivacy
@sharpedo2027 here it is

Jeff the Sharpedo Feb 13, 2025

@codeofamor @clickhere @drwho @alice @protonprivacy thanks!

rk: it’s hyphen-minus actually Jan 15, 2025

@alice @protonprivacy

I literally *just* migrated my primary domain to Proton. Ugh.

Irenes (many)Jan 15, 2025

@rk @alice @protonprivacy ugh sorry

rsp Jan 15, 2025

@alice Where's the evidence of being a Trump supporter? This? https://x.com/andyyen/status/1864436449942110660

This is about antitrust--and perhaps an accurate statement. I'm horrified by Trump, but do need to see evidence before I go changing my email!

Andy Yen (@andyyen) on X

Great pick by @realDonaldTrump. 10 years ago, Republicans were the party of big business and Dems stood for the little guys, but today the tables have completely turned. People forget that the current antitrust actions against Big Tech were started under the first Trump admin.

X (formerly Twitter)

Acin ☆Jan 15, 2025

@rspfau the tweet shows Yen taking Trump at his word about someone who in reality is for big business, particularly for the oligarchy the Trumps and their resident allies represent.

That is a form of support.

Acin ☆Jan 15, 2025

@rspfau @alice that's not to say I'm rushing to change my email. I haven't found any better options.

John Carlsen 🇺🇸🇳🇱🇪🇺Jan 15, 2025

That's horrible.

I've been migrating from Google to Proton.

Could you please cite a source? I'm seeing nothing about that so far.

Molly in Missouri Jan 15, 2025

@johnlogic i searched the intenternet and found a lot, and i am an elder gen-x so, really picky about sources. I refuse to let others find them for me on important issues.

John Carlsen 🇺🇸🇳🇱🇪🇺Jan 15, 2025

@alice thanks for adding the links! The sycophancy is at best unpalatable.

Nathan A. Stine Jan 15, 2025

@alice @protonprivacy thanks for helping me decide to stay on the free tier.

rsp Jan 15, 2025

@alice I don't support neutrality when it comes to fascists like Trump, but I don't view it as supporting Trump either: https://proton.me/blog/trump-control-nsa-privacy

Donald Trump will control the NSA – what this means for your privacy | Proton

Earlier this week, Donald Trump won a stunning election victory that will put him in charge of the world's most powerful mass surveillance infrastructure.

Proton

unsponsor Jan 15, 2025

@alice @protonprivacy cancelled my subscription. guess I'll have to change email addresses again

The 500 Hats of LambdaCalculus Jan 15, 2025

@alice @protonprivacy Welp, time to delete my Proton account.

Fuck you, Andy Yen.

gz Jan 15, 2025

@alice @protonprivacy
I've been encouraged by several recommendations (including yours) for Proton and have been planning to switch to it. However, this throws a wrench in the works, not sure what to do now. 😡

@alice
I find it personally appalling and beyond tone deaf, especially for a privacy service used by so many vulnerable people. I love Proton and supported it from the beginning. But if this is not resolved I will open a support case and make it clear Andy's actions are why im cancelling my visionary plan.
@protonprivacy

@alice
With the addition of "Proton Scribe" (AI), Proton Wallet (Crypto), inappropriate involvement in US politics especially for a nonprofit head and endorsement of Republicans it seems to me Andy is heading towards full cringe techbro
@protonprivacy

NosirrahSec 🏴‍☠️ guillotine enthusiast Jan 15, 2025

@chillybot @alice @protonprivacy you said what I was thinking.

I've been a staunch supporter of proton and suggest it to everyone, but I'm pretty sure that's at an end without ProtonPrivacy taking out their trash.

I am afraid to go look if I paid for a year, or more than that, last time my subscription was up.

kwayk42 Jan 15, 2025

@alice @protonprivacy I don't trust any email hosting providers anymore, to the point where I spun up my own server. The $30/month for a server is well worth my data privacy. Sad that that privacy isn't free anymore

smeg Jan 15, 2025

@alice @protonprivacy you know if Trump passes laws targeting marginalized groups' online communications, Proton will violate its own principles.

You can't trust the product, now.

ronwm Jan 15, 2025

@alice @protonprivacy I'll be following up on this thread. I've been considering them strongly as a place to go upon leaving Gmail.... But wasn't yet convinced. Good info to have when choosing who to send my money too. Thanks.

▇▕ ▂┃▇ ▖▀ ▅ ▄ ⭩⭩⭩Jan 15, 2025

@alice @protonprivacy I think Trump is a roaring fascist and I think he should be in prison. At the same time, I don't see anything in the remarks by Yen that you quoted that convince me he is a "Trump supporter." Democrats own the Surveillance Industrial Complex just as much as Republicans. People I consider right libertarian loons are occasionally genuine champions of privacy and genuine opponents of government intrusion on [some] civil liberties (q.v. Justin Amash or even Bob Barr)....

Jargoggles Jan 15, 2025

@jdormansteele2 @alice @protonprivacy
Just gonna drop this here.

▇▕ ▂┃▇ ▖▀ ▅ ▄ ⭩⭩⭩Jan 15, 2025

@jargoggles @alice @protonprivacy The ironies run deep. And I do miss @dril .