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Russia blocks ProtonMail

reuters.com

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Re: Russia blocks ProtonMail

#131

Post by mackrevinack »

Timpy wrote: post #3

I've been considering leaving Gmail for a privacy focused email service but it seems so difficult to switch. So many accounts and services have my Gmail registered, I don't think I could collect them all. Can anybody using ProtonMail (or any other privacy focused email) recommend it? I feel like choosing an email provider these days is as serious as choosing a bank.

I switched a few years back. forwarded all mail from gmail then set up a filter that adds a label "GMAIL" in red text. anytime you see that label, go to the site and switch to protonmail.

I'm at the point now where I only get see that label every one in a blue moon. I'll probably switch over for good soon enough but I'm not in a rush either

Re: Russia blocks ProtonMail

#132

Post by gfiorav »

everdrive wrote: post #75
gfiorav wrote: post #15

I know it's easy to play conspiracy, but after watching this piece [0] on "active measures", it wouldn't surprise me that FSB finally found a way to hack proton mail, or the way to circumvent the block will expose some part of it. Hence this measure. [0] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/opinion/russia-meddling-d...

This sort of reasoning is almost always spurious. Without enough facts about the truth, people try to think about what the motivations of different entities would be, and then assume that those entities are able to pursue those motivations. Usually, there is not enough information for a 3rd party observer to actually know the motivations of a large group, or know enough about the facts to know whether those groups we…

Agreed. I do admit it's the "easy" thing to do. I usually resent people who think everything is a conspiracy, but tbh, apart from encrypting everything you upload everywhere, I don't know how to "be safe".

Not that I'm concerned that government agencies would want to "hunt me down" or anything. I'm more concerned of what hackers will be able to do when they steal that info from the government (i.e., very ellaborate and credible scams to close family impersonating me).

Re: Russia blocks ProtonMail

#133

Post by eatbitseveryday »

Timpy wrote: post #3

I've been considering leaving Gmail for a privacy focused email service but it seems so difficult to switch. So many accounts and services have my Gmail registered, I don't think I could collect them all. Can anybody using ProtonMail (or any other privacy focused email) recommend it? I feel like choosing an email provider these days is as serious as choosing a bank.

> so difficult to switch. So many accounts and services have my Gmail registered, I don't think I could collect them all.

Register a domain (e.g. something23423.de for 15USD/year) and use that as your primary email address (e.g., name@something23423.de), then connect it to any provider you wish underneath via editing the MX records at the registrar. Many email providers support this and have instructions [1,2,3].

You can have Gmail then forward all emails to your new address, and then each email that arrives from Gmail, you know needs updating to the new address.

You do not need to change your email address when switching providers.

[1] https://www.fastmail.com/help/receive/domains.html

[2] https://kb.mailbox.org/display/BMBOKBEN/Using+e-mail+address...

[3] https://protonmail.com/support/knowledge-base/set-up-a-custo...

Re: Russia blocks ProtonMail

#134

Post by Vaslo »

bnt wrote: post #40
Vaslo wrote: post #30

"Roskomnadzor said that ProtonMail had refused to provide Russian authorities with information on the owners of email accounts allegedly associated with fake bomb threats." I know ProtonMail is denying they got requests but hopefully this is a good advertisement for their willingness to protect individuals.

And if those bomb threats proved right and people get killed? Would you still praise Proton for not working with Law enforcement?

You got downvoted but I can't completely disagree with what your saying. I wish there was something in between where you could expose bombers and pedophiles without exposing normal people even with extreme views.

Re: Russia blocks ProtonMail

#135

Post by giancarlostoro »

yakireev wrote: post #103
giancarlostoro wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is probably more concerning, although ProtonMail is not something I typically see outside of the HN crowd and similar. I met only one total stranger who gave me a ProtonMail email address.

I was considering moving to ProtonMail (honestly, not being able to send mail to Russian addresses is now a blocker), but if I ever do, I won't give you a @protonmail address either, because I won't have one. If you want to actually own your email address, it should be on your own domain. Then you can change your mail provider without changing your primary email address.

I have yet to get told a personalized email address to this day. I want to make a shift to a personalized email domain, but I have yet to go through with it. I want a domain thats easily memorable and easy for almost anybody to type out.

Re: Russia blocks ProtonMail

#136

Post by redis_mlc »

d0mine wrote: post #114
pdimitar wrote: post #66

Well, that in my eyes is a very solid advertising in favour of ProtonMail. And it's not like Russians, Chinese and generally people in countries whose governments are in the habit of censoring the internet aren't used to using Tor and/or VPNs to dodge censorship.

I would be very surprised if certain agencies wouldn't have a nice search box for any content on ProtonMail (as it is for Gmail, etc if we believe Snowden). Remember Lavabit.

> if we believe Snowden

You don't have to believe him.

Google engineers have admitted in print that their inter-DC links were not encrypted.

Marissa Mayer admitted in print that she allowed the government to install a linux kernel module to sniff email traffic for keywords, among other things.

Re: Russia blocks ProtonMail

#137

Post by boring_twenties »

xiphias2 wrote: post #58
golergka wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A chance that an anonymous bomb tip will turn out to be true is very small. But it's not zero. Now, for a second, imagine that it really happened. And you're the official who decided "no, we will not act on this". And this decision is in the records. Does this situation look good to you?

It's not the official who decides, it should be a general policy. If you look at a similar case, in US. SWAT-ting can be anonymous and can destroy lives, the assymetry of the tips and the resources destroyed by a false tip is unacceptable. The same way for a bomb threat, the officer should act by requiring identification and guaranteeing that it stays private as long as the bomb is real.

OK, but before it can become policy, some official or officials have to make it so.

Those officials then have to get reelected.

That's usually easier when your opponents can't make legitimate-sounding claims that the policies you've instituted led to a bombing.

Re: Russia blocks ProtonMail

#138

Post by dragonwriter »

redis_mlc wrote: post #136
d0mine wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would be very surprised if certain agencies wouldn't have a nice search box for any content on ProtonMail (as it is for Gmail, etc if we believe Snowden). Remember Lavabit.

> if we believe Snowden You don't have to believe him. Google engineers have admitted in print that their inter-DC links were not encrypted. Marissa Mayer admitted in print that she allowed the government to install a linux kernel module to sniff email traffic for keywords, among other things.

> Google engineers have admitted in print that their inter-DC links were not encrypted.

Didn't Google qua Google, not mere engineers, do that by publicly announcing that they were upgrading security by encrypting them in the wake of the Snowden leaks?

Re: Russia blocks ProtonMail

#139

Post by Koshkin »

antpls wrote: post #123
joering2 wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difference was that number one Lavabit was made by a US citizen, and its servers were in the USA. Number two, Lavabit kept all keys to your email at their own premises and could de-crypt your email on their side. Protonmail cannot do so, because your password is a part of they key to decrypt email, and they do not know it, nor they can crack it in a reasonable amount of time, so AFAIK there is nothing they can pr…

> Protonmail cannot do so, because your password is a part of they key to decrypt email, and they do not know it, nor they can crack it in a reasonable amount of time, so AFAIK there is nothing they can provide LE with to decrypt your email on the go. I don't think this is true. A hash of the password could be part of the key, but Protonmail already has that hash stored on its server (otherwise they would not be able…

> A hash of the password could be part of the key

Except when it's not (and the full password is used instead).

Re: Russia blocks ProtonMail

#140

Post by noelsusman »

fraktl wrote: post #47
bnt wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And if those bomb threats proved right and people get killed? Would you still praise Proton for not working with Law enforcement?

I would. It's not Protonmail who's to be blamed for the potential attack and deaths. There are series of events that lead to people deciding to be terrorists. I'd focus on those reasons rather than hotfixing stuff by exposing 99.9% of other Protonmail users. I would never opt in to affect 99.9% of users because of 0.01% of users. We are all educated enough through events in recent history that clearly tell us how sim…

I can understand this in the specific context of Russia, but I honestly don't understand this as a general principle. Allowing the police to convince a judge to issue a warrant for information on a few ProtonMail users doesn't expose 99.9% of other ProtonMail users to anything. Why would a warrant to kick somebody's door down be okay while a warrant for this is not? Are you opposed to all types of police warrants?

There is a balance between privacy and catching bad guys, but I often get the sense that much of this community believes the police should never be able to invade somebody's privacy even if they have evidence that person committed a crime. That doesn't seem like a sensible balance to me, and it's an extreme position to take. Am I misunderstanding?

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