'ProtonMail' Email App for iOS Launches With End-to-End Encryption

[MacRumors]

Swiss software developer and civil liberties outfit Proton Technologies saw its encrypted email app ProtonMail hit the App Store today.

The iOS app is a front end for the company's popular free worldwide end-to-end encrypted email service, built on the back of over half a million dollars raised in a 2014 crowdfunding campaign.

ProtonMail invisibly integrates PGP encryption into a modern user interface and operates on the service's "zero access" policy, meaning all messages are stored in encrypted format so that not even ProtonMail has access to their contents.

Illustrated example of end-to-end encryption (Image: ProtonMail)​

After creating a free email account, users can send and receive encrypted emails automatically, set timers for messages to self-destruct after sending, organize emails using swipe gestures and labels, and also send password-protected encrypted emails to non-ProtonMail email addresses.

ProtonMail's encryption service is open source and hosted entirely in Switzerland, under the protection of some of the world's strongest privacy laws.

Last year, the Swiss Parliament passed a new domestic surveillance law that increased the country's state surveillance capabilities and curtailed privacy rights. However, ProtonMail has concluded that the law does not negatively impact the company's secure email service.

Boxes of signatures being delivered to the Swiss government in Bern (Image: ProtonMail)​

Despite that analysis, ProtonMail joined other civil liberty groups to mount a challenge against the new law, since according to Switzerland's democratic system, any law can be challenged by collecting 50,000 signatures within a period of three months after its passage.

Those efforts resulted in 70,000 signatures being delivered to the Swiss parliament in January. This means that at the next election, the Swiss surveillance law will be put to a public vote by the entire country.

ProtonMail was founded in 2013 by MIT engineers and CERN scientists inspired by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden's revelations of government mass surveillance programs.

ProtonMail is a free download for iPad and iPhone. [Direct Link]

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: 'ProtonMail' Email App for iOS Launches With End-to-End Encryption

 

[Paradoxally]

Okay, so let me get this right: I can send encrypted emails to anyone, but what about receiving from third-parties? They don't use PGP yet...

 

[tgara]

Great, the new email app of choice for terrorists, kidnappers, pedophiles, cop-killers, murderers, and drug dealers.

 

[sim667]

Okay, so let me get this right: I can send encrypted emails to anyone, but what about receiving from third-parties? They don't use PGP yet...

They won't be encrypted.

I'd suggest that you'd probably use this specifically for encrypted email, rather than general email.

 

[Fzang]

Great, the new email app of choice for terrorists, kidnappers, pedophiles, cop-killers, murderers, and drug dealers.

Maybe then we could fix society instead of masking symptoms with the petty belief that surveillance and anxiety leads anywhere.

People aren't usually born inherently "bad". Only politicians would have you believe that.

 

[zioxide]

Great, the new email app of choice for terrorists, kidnappers, pedophiles, cop-killers, murderers, and drug dealers.

Funny how you're a staunch defender of guns on here but don't think law abiding citizens deserve privacy.

If we stop the good guys from having encryption, only the bad guys will have it. Sounds familiar...

 

[Pakaku]

Great, the new email app of choice for terrorists, kidnappers, pedophiles, cop-killers, murderers, and drug dealers.

Hooray for over-simplifications

 

[Sill]

Great, the new email app of choice for terrorists, kidnappers, pedophiles, cop-killers, murderers, and drug dealers.

Yes of course. And if a car manufacturer decides to make cheap minivans again, that will be the vehicle of choice of human traffickers. And easily obtainable guns are the weapon of choice of murderers. And tall buildings the location of choice for suicides. And if the government isn't involved in health care its racist. etc. Must ban all of it, everything.

 

[maxsix]

Proton has served me well over the last twelve months while waiting for this app to be ready for release. This completes the loop.

 

[JM]

Great, the new email app of choice for terrorists, kidnappers, pedophiles, cop-killers, murderers, and drug dealers.

You're everywhere. Haha
[doublepost=1458224240][/doublepost]

Funny how you're a staunch defender of guns on here but don't think law abiding citizens deserve privacy.

If we stop the good guys from having encryption, only the bad guys will have it. Sounds familiar...

Awwwwww snap.

 

[mrgraff]

So now we're doing app reviews in PRSI too? Dear God, make it stop already!

 

[stulaw11]

Maybe then we could fix society instead of masking symptoms with the petty belief that surveillance and anxiety leads anywhere.

People aren't usually born inherently "bad". Only politicians would have you believe that.

No actually the stats would have you believing that.

And Im sure the families of the 40-50,000+ people killed yearly in the US alone by another person (not suicide or car accidents but murder, manslaughter etc) would disagree with you that it's a figment of the government's imagination.

 

[KALLT]

Okay, so let me get this right: I can send encrypted emails to anyone, but what about receiving from third-parties? They don't use PGP yet...

Well, there are two aspects to this. One, your mailbox itself is encrypted offline, so your stored emails can never be accessed by anyone but you. ProtonMail itself does not have the key to your mailbox. This is already a big plus. Two, PGP of course depends on the sender, so the infrastructure has to be put in place. For personal correspondence it should be possible to exchange keys, but it is still cumbersome. There are servers where you can upload your public keys so that other people can look for them when they know your email address, but it is not ideal. Some companies like Facebook which let you upload your public key to their servers and they will send all emails encrypted with your key.

 

[2457282]

If I send an email to the FBI using Proton, will they use the writ act to force apple to write code to allow them to crack the email encryption?

 

[aaronvan]

Great, the new email app of choice for terrorists, kidnappers, pedophiles, cop-killers, murderers, and drug dealers.

Naw, they're all using Android.

 

[JM]

Maybe then we could fix society instead of masking symptoms with the petty belief that surveillance and anxiety leads anywhere.

People aren't usually born inherently "bad". Only politicians would have you believe that.

I like your first paragraph, but the second: wey-llllllllllllllllllllll...

People are all born with a propensity to do "bad"; its human nature. Now to the degree of "bad" we all have differences.

But I do believe that you are correct about actually attempting to fix the "bad" instead of trying to avoid, escape, or fight it with surveillance and anxiety.
[doublepost=1458224920][/doublepost]

Naw, they're all using Android.

Cheap shots are funny

 

[d0minick]

been waiting for an app before moving my gmail stuff over.

 

[tgara]

Funny how you're a staunch defender of guns on here but don't think law abiding citizens deserve privacy.

If we stop the good guys from having encryption, only the bad guys will have it. Sounds familiar...

Don't worry, all your kiddie porn will be safe and secure from the FBI.

 

[rdowns]

Don't worry, all your kiddie porn will be safe and secure from the FBI.

Can you point out a single accused pedophile who isn't in jail because the authorities haven't been able to get into his iPhone?

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Don't worry, all your kiddie porn will be safe and secure from the FBI.

Sexting is a rather ordinary thing that couples do and wouldn't want shared with others. There's nothing illegal or immoral about it.

Also, a lot of people think their email is secure, and they send stuff via email that they really shouldn't. IE, their bank account information. Having your email actually secure is desirable.

One thing I wonder... does proton mail know who is sending and receiving mail, and when they're sending it? Seems like they should somehow prevent themselves from knowing it... IDK how, but that information tells you who is friends with who. Such information could expose members of groups of victims or support groups like alcoholics anonymous.

 

[zioxide]

Don't worry, all your kiddie porn will be safe and secure from the FBI.

Don't worry, nobody is going to take away your kiddie murdering machines either.

 

[lowendlinux]

I'm happy that Apple and the FBI took their fight public it forces these conversation in mainstream communities.

 

[DrewDaHilp1]

Great, the new email app of choice for terrorists, kidnappers, pedophiles, cop-killers, murderers, and drug dealers.

Sarcasm I hope. If not......“If you love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”
― Samuel Adams

 

[dec.]

Great, the new email app of choice for terrorists, kidnappers, pedophiles, cop-killers, murderers, and drug dealers.

Trump 2016

 

[furi0usbee]

Great, the new email app of choice for terrorists, kidnappers, pedophiles, cop-killers, murderers, and drug dealers.

Nope, just for people who take their privacy seriously. Next week we outlaw the van here in the USA, because it's been the choice of terrorists, kidnappers, pedophiles, cop-killers, etc...
[doublepost=1458226062][/doublepost]

I'm happy that Apple and the FBI took their fight public it forces these conversation in mainstream communities.

The only thing that came out of all this for the FBI is that I use *MORE* encryption. Thanks feds!