ProtonMail Hits 5M Accounts

So, just curious, how does filtering out spam work, if the email provider does not have access to the contents? Not saying it's not possible, but I wonder if any current users of ProtonMail could comment on this? If you use ProtonMail, are you mostly just on your own in regards to spam filtering?

Let's stop repeating this myth: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/12/switzerland-wont...

I am sorry I am pasting an article instead of making my own point but the fact remains that just because it's Switzerland doesn't meant it's any better.

So they want users to ditch one centralized service provider with another?

I have no Google/Microsoft/iCloud account, ProtonMail has been covering my (pretty basic) email needs for well over three years now, and now I'm leaving them.

Proton has been talking about adding calendar for years (unreleased), then they started working on ProtonDrive (unreleased), now they talk about an office suite... Then then flirted with the idea of doing an ICO to fund themselves, at which point I decided to leave. I don't want to be in a ship that sails in circles and doesn't have a clear direction.

ProtonMail free has 500MB, no IMAP, and max of 3 folders and 150 emails a day, versus Google's free, familiar, full-featured set of well-integrated services. Will they convince the average Google user to leave productivity behind, and pay in the process?

And again, they are a for-profit. What will happen the day they realize they can't pay the bills at the Alps with free users?

They can promise whatever they want, Google's motto was "Don't be evil".

> So, just curious, how does filtering out spam work, if the email provider does not have access to the contents?

Much (most?) of spam filtering is done using DKIM/SPF/DMARC/ARC, domain reputation, and IP reputation, none of which require access to the contents.

I'm not saying that you should go and make all your email subjects "Free herbal viagra" or whatever, but modern spam filtering algorithms revolve somewhat less around those kinds of trigger phrases than they used to.

Also, spam is by definition sent in bulk, so as long as the emails are hitting either some accounts on other email providers or else are hitting some honeypots on ProtonMail then you still get the benefit of being able to have the sender blacklisted based on the contents.

I've switched to RunBox. Custom domains are supported; they're based in Norway. The web interface is very basic (I think they're about to release a new version), but I prefer IMAP anyway.