this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2025
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Privacy
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tl:dr Proton CEO came out on Twitter and praised Trump's selection for FTC leader. Which is fine, in my opinion, even though I disagree with it. What's not so fine is that he followed that up with basically "dems are bought and conservatives are more likely to fight for consumer privacy", which is abundantly clearly to anyone who pays attention to US politics, objectively incorrect.
https://mastodon.neat.computer/@jonah/113705526672291257
The biggest problem to me was the official Proton reddit account making an official statement agreeing with Andy. Andy blamed this on a "miscommunication" and it has since been deleted, but probably only because of the backlash they were receiving.
The biggest problem to me is the CEO of a company whose entire focus is on privacy and privacy advocacy being so incredibly ignorant of US politics as it pertains to privacy.
He actually didn't touch privacy, he touched antitrust and monopolies. The whole benefit to privacy is indirect by means of a level field.
He believes that republicans will do better than dems in terms of fighting big tech monopolies.
You're right, he did, but my point stands regardless.
I thought the whole point stood on "company whose main point is privacy". In this case, his views on antitrust may be naive, but it's quite easy to see how what he thinks might happen with antitrust/big tech is indirectly benefiting the privacy of users (worldwide). So doesn't it fit directly with the opinion of a CEO of a company whose main point is privacy? Ultimately proton didn't change product because of this trump decision, didn't change internal policies, terms, privacy policy, nothing.
Yup, that he is anything but a downgrade from Lina khan for consumer protection in the FTC is super wrong.
*She
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gail_Slater