By the way, the earlier posted article https://restoreprivacy.com/protonmail-discloses-user-data-leading-to-arrest-in-spain had an update starting at the paragraph with title Update: Statement from Proton and additional commentary
"helped" is very misleading. Companies can't refuse to provide information they have when served a search warrant / court order. These companies DID NOT choose to provide the info on their own.
“helped” is very misleading. Companies can’t refuse to provide information they have when served a search warrant / court order. These companies DID NOT choose to provide the info on their own.
You are suggesting all these companies are completely helpless against legal requests. That is not correct. A company should first make clear that the legal request is actually completely legitimate and correct. After that they can look at whether they should provide the information or not.
See the data here :
- https://restoreprivacy.com/protonmail-discloses-user-data-leading-to-arrest-in-spain
- https://cdn-resprivacy.pressidium.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Proton-Mail-logs.png
As someone who has worked fraud and online investigations, and both written and served search warrants; it is not an option. A probable cause affidavit is presented to a judge and if the judge agrees there is sufficient probable cause, a search warrant is issued. This is an order by the judge and not optional. The judge can hold the company in contempt if they refuse to obey his/her order.
Obligatory reminder:
Email is not a secure medium! If you need truly secure and/or anonymous communications, DON'T USE EMAIL!
Use a platform/protocol designed from the ground up for those things!
I do not blame Proton for complying with a request - it is a completely expected action from a company. However, I would blame them for advertising that makes them seem safer than they are for people who don't know better.
