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Fastmail accounts blocked in Russia, here's what we know

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Re: Fastmail accounts blocked in Russia, here's what we know

#31

Post by hansel_der »

mensetmanusman wrote: post #4

I wonder if the fastmail protocol could be hidden in AWS-like data streams to take an approach like telegram. If they try to block it, they shut down their entire digital business infrastructure. I have been looking for an alternative to Gmail, does anyone have recommendations? Fastmail? Proton mail? What put me over the edge is my young friend had a heart attack, went to the hospital and (during recovery) logged int…

> I wonder if the fastmail protocol could be hidden in AWS-like data streams

this reads funnily non-techy

i mean web-mail exists or are you reffering to some imap/smtp-in-http?

should be good as long as it is ssl-encrypted and runs over tcp-port 443, no?

Re: Fastmail accounts blocked in Russia, here's what we know

#32

Post by squiggleblaz »

throwawaystress wrote: post #24
mensetmanusman wrote: post #4

I wonder if the fastmail protocol could be hidden in AWS-like data streams to take an approach like telegram. If they try to block it, they shut down their entire digital business infrastructure. I have been looking for an alternative to Gmail, does anyone have recommendations? Fastmail? Proton mail? What put me over the edge is my young friend had a heart attack, went to the hospital and (during recovery) logged int…

I’m also a Fastmail user (for the past 5 years or so), but I’m considering switching to iCloud, given the announcement it’ll start supporting custom domains. Fastmail is pricey ($50/month for the non-lite tier), whereas iCloud is $1/month for 50 GB.

Fastmail has three current tiers: Basic, Standard and Professional. Basic is $3/user/month, Standard is $5/user/month and Professional is $9/user/month. None of them are remotely close to $50/month for ordinary single users. You would need 10 users to get to $50/month for the Standard "non-lite tier" plan.

Perhaps the user has confused fastmail with another service or they might have some legacy plan which is more expensive than it needs to be. (I think I have a legacy plan...)

Re: Fastmail accounts blocked in Russia, here's what we know

#33

Post by ByteWelder »

Shacklz wrote: post #17
mensetmanusman wrote: post #4

I wonder if the fastmail protocol could be hidden in AWS-like data streams to take an approach like telegram. If they try to block it, they shut down their entire digital business infrastructure. I have been looking for an alternative to Gmail, does anyone have recommendations? Fastmail? Proton mail? What put me over the edge is my young friend had a heart attack, went to the hospital and (during recovery) logged int…

I'm a very happy customer of protonmail. They're consistently extending their offering (VPN, Calendar, Drive is up next), their pricing seems fair, albeit not exactly cheap, but to be honest though, I almost consider this to be a feature - I'm perfectly okay with paying good cash for something as important as mail. Their UI was somewhat lackluster but they recently released a completely overhauled version (just a few…

As a former ProtonMail customer (for several months) and current Fastmail one (~ 4 years): If you have more than 2 domain names, you'll pay 30 EUR/month for your ProtonMail account. I think that's ridiculous. The 5 alias limit for the "Plus" tier is also too limited in my opinion.

Re: Fastmail accounts blocked in Russia, here's what we know

#34

Post by arihant »

mensetmanusman wrote: post #4

I wonder if the fastmail protocol could be hidden in AWS-like data streams to take an approach like telegram. If they try to block it, they shut down their entire digital business infrastructure. I have been looking for an alternative to Gmail, does anyone have recommendations? Fastmail? Proton mail? What put me over the edge is my young friend had a heart attack, went to the hospital and (during recovery) logged int…

For your concern, Zoho is a great option. Very reliable support. I got locked out once and they were able to help me get back my account really fast.

Re: Fastmail accounts blocked in Russia, here's what we know

#35

Post by rychco »

wgm wrote: post #30
rychco wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I started using fastmail about 6 months ago and have really enjoyed it so far. My only concern is whether they’ll be around long term (10-20+ years) because it’s quickly become my default email for important stuff.

I started using fastmail about a year ago. They've been around since the late 1990s so I feel good about their longevity.

I wasn’t aware of that. That’s very reassuring.

Re: Fastmail accounts blocked in Russia, here's what we know

#36

Post by Sebb767 »

ilammy wrote: post #5

Wait a minute. Why would Fastmail preemptively block Russian IPs if they don't have any legally vulnerable presence in Russia? Just to deny Roskomnadzor the joy? There is Russian proverb that aptly describes such behavior: "назло маме отморожу уши" (cut off your nose to spite your face). > What you can do if you're affected > - Talk to Roskomsvoboda: a digital rights advocacy organization. I like when private compani…

> I like when private companies tell their customers what politics they should engage in.

Well, if they can't provide a service or are having problems doing so for legal reason, it's only sensible to ask their customers to lobby for a better legal framework if they wish to receive that service. It's a problem (IMO) if what they ask for is unrelated to their business, but quite a few people would disagree with that, as well; especially if they fight for something they deem necessary.

Re: Fastmail accounts blocked in Russia, here's what we know

#37

Post by mulander »

The article touches on new signups being blocked, what happens to the current paying users in the region? Are they also blocked? How is fastmail helping them move/supporting them in this situation?

I am a fastmail customer in a different region (Poland). I am however looking closely at this as who knows, maybe I will be on the receiving end in the future?

Re: Fastmail accounts blocked in Russia, here's what we know

#38

Post by jrochkind1 »

ilammy wrote: post #5

Wait a minute. Why would Fastmail preemptively block Russian IPs if they don't have any legally vulnerable presence in Russia? Just to deny Roskomnadzor the joy? There is Russian proverb that aptly describes such behavior: "назло маме отморожу уши" (cut off your nose to spite your face). > What you can do if you're affected > - Talk to Roskomsvoboda: a digital rights advocacy organization. I like when private compani…

A sufficiently powerful state actor can find ways to penalize you, harm your company, or make the lives of principals or employees terrible even if you don't think you have a legally vulnerable presence in their jurisdiction. Just ask the USA!

I would imagine their lawyers recommended it. I too would be curious to see the legal memo, but I'm not surprised that a company would take this course, it does not seem unreasonable to me.

Re: Fastmail accounts blocked in Russia, here's what we know

#39

Post by mytailorisrich »

Leaving aside the rights and wrongs of the Russian government, I think that their general goal is sensible and we'll see more and more of this from all countries.

By their general goal I mean "the Russian media regulation body, the Roskomnadzor, demanded that Fastmail comply with Russian data laws. This is because Russia has a national goal of controlling the flow of information within their borders." (from the blog).

A company may not have any presence in a country but if they have customers there it's not unreasonable for that country to expect that its data laws should apply to the company's relation with those customers (and as it happens that's what the GDPR stipulate as well)

Re: Fastmail accounts blocked in Russia, here's what we know

#40

Post by genghizkhan »

mensetmanusman wrote: post #4

I wonder if the fastmail protocol could be hidden in AWS-like data streams to take an approach like telegram. If they try to block it, they shut down their entire digital business infrastructure. I have been looking for an alternative to Gmail, does anyone have recommendations? Fastmail? Proton mail? What put me over the edge is my young friend had a heart attack, went to the hospital and (during recovery) logged int…

I'll put in a recommendation for MXroute (mxroute.com). They're geared towards slightly more technical users, ime, but there's practically no limits (apart from rate of outgoing mail). Unlimited domains, unlimited aliases, unlimited accounts, even. The entire service uses DirectAdmin as a management UI so it's pretty easy to use. They've even got plans geared towards resellers. The owner/sysad is an ex-Digital Ocean guy who's obsessed with mail delivery, so you're not likely to face any issues delivering to practically anyone.

I shifted over from Fastmail (who are amazing, don't get me wrong) because I got a good Black Friday deal.

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