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Proton spam and the AI consent problem

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131–140 of 446 posts

Re: Proton spam and the AI consent problem

#131

I think we must make it clear that this is not related to AI at all, even if the product in question is AI-related. It is a very common problem with modern marketing teams, that have zero empathy for customers (even if they have one, they will never push back on whatever insane demands come from senior management). This is why any email subscription management interface now is as bloated as a dead whale. If too many…

Still happy that Tuta Mail is anti AI, and does not push ads on you via email.

I wonder who told Proton that it’s a good idea to copy big tech tactics.

Re: Proton spam and the AI consent problem

#132
post #51

I think we must make it clear that this is not related to AI at all, even if the product in question is AI-related. It is a very common problem with modern marketing teams, that have zero empathy for customers (even if they have one, they will never push back on whatever insane demands come from senior management). This is why any email subscription management interface now is as bloated as a dead whale. If too many…

I disagree: in as much as I have noticed this *far* more with AI than any other advancement / fad (depending on your opinion) than anything else before. This also tracks with every app and website injecting AI into every one of your interactions, with no way to disable it. I think the article's point about non-consent is a very apt one, and expresses why I dislike this trend so much. I left Google Workspace, as a pay…

To add to this, it's the same attitude that they used to create the AI in the first place by using content which they don't own, without permission. Regardless of how useful it may be, the companies creating it and including it have demonstrated time and again that they do not care about consent.

Re: Proton spam and the AI consent problem

#134
Trust is maybe the most valuable commodity for a VPN provider… And I have the feeling Proton is gambling it away.

It made me move to Mullvad.

Despite the fact that in terms of performance Proton is slightly better. (underscoring just *how* crucial ‘trust’ is)

Re: Proton spam and the AI consent problem

#135

Hey, Proton CTO here. There was a bug, and we fucked up. Support should have reported it up the chain and acknowledged this. Things happen, especially at scale, but we take comms consent seriously and will fix it.

Thanks for acknowledging it. Your support team misattributed the email to Business category. It may help to have the exact name of subscription category in the footer of the message.

Re: Proton spam and the AI consent problem

#137
post #94

This problem, along with general annoyances at Proton’s lack of focus on a good email experience pushed me over the edge to move to Fastmail. I’m so much happier. Proton Mail Bridge would often pin one core of my laptop CPU, draining my battery, and it was still slow to sync new email. With Fastmail, incoming mail is so fast that the verification codes are already there before I can alt tab over.

I may be in the same boat. Is Fastmail an US company though?

They solely use US servers [1] and don't have plans to offer EU or any non-US servers though.

[1] https://old.reddit.com/r/fastmail/comments/1jbryai/european_...

Re: Proton spam and the AI consent problem

#138
post #2

> Has anyone else noticed that the AI industry can’t take “no” for an answer? AI is being force-fed into every corner of tech. It’s unfathomable to them that some of us aren’t interested. The entire AI industry is built upon a common principle of non-consent. I can't help but see the spam as more circumstantial evidence of a bubble, where top-down "pump those numbers" priorities overrides regular process.

The really strange thing is that so much of it doesn't work. Like I get that the SOTA models perform some tasks quite well and have some real value. But the AI being implemented in every corner creates a lot of really bad results. The Shopify code assistant will completely wreck your site and basically gets nothing correct. It will write 100 lines to change a color of a single DIV. The Amazon product Q&A will give yo…

"It's difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it."

In this case, the thing that's difficult to understand is "AI in everything is shit and nobody wants it."

Re: Proton spam and the AI consent problem

#139
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whenever I login to LinkedIn I get "emails aren't getting through to your main email address". 1. That's by design, because you spammed the shit out of it. 2. Given that all I do is send them to /dev/null, HOW DO YOU KNOW?

They're checking to see whether any of the links they put in the emails are being fetched from their servers. It's stupid, but it works for most people. I had a similar situation with SMS messages that were being sent to me with links informing me of status updates. These texts were useful, and I would go over to my real computer to check the web site. Then after a few days the text messages said "It looks like these…

You don't need the recipient to actually click on any visible link. Tracking pixels are the oldest trick in the book.

Re: Proton spam and the AI consent problem

#140
post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's illegal in the US too as far as I'm aware. But you missed the part where they clearly stated "it's not marketing" ;)

The corporate version of video-uploaders writing "no copyright infringement intended", except with less an an excuse for not knowing better.

"For Off-road Use Only"
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