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Privacy-Focused Proton Mail Aids FBI in Uncovering ‘Stop Cop City’ Protester’s True Identity

Privacy-Focused Proton Mail Aids FBI in Uncovering ‘Stop Cop City’ Protester’s True Identity - Lemmy.zip

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/60387297 [https://lemmy.zip/post/60387297] > Proton Mail provided Swiss authorities with payment data for [email protected] [[email protected]] — the account linked to Stop Cop City protests in Atlanta. The FBI obtained this information through a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty request on January 25, 2024, identifying the activist behind the anonymous account through their credit card identifier.

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floquant Mar 8

Again, they did not “aid” nor “give” that information. They were legally obliged to do so. There was never a choice. This could’ve happened with literally any company, E2EE stops them from being forced to turn over the emails themselves, but basic account metadata (creation date, payment methods, contact details, potentially IP access logs) will always be available. What you can do is limit the amount of information a provider requires/saves (for which Proton is a good choice) or don’t rely on a company at all and roll your own email server.

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Venator Mar 9

In this case, wouldn’t rolling your own email server make it even easier to find you, since they’ll just have to look up who registered the domain you used for your email address?

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floquant

Depending on how you register the domain, there are some registrars that require no info at all. One of those paid with Monero creates no links to your identity.

But yes, self-hosting does not shield you from court orders. If they find you they can still access your shit, depending on how much your country’s infosec police gives a shit and/or how closely they cooperate with US agencies.