(the link is not paid for, nor does it go to, McAfee, it's malware)
Can't wait to fully migrate to Proton.
this post was submitted on 20 Dec 2023
326 points (100.0% liked)
196
16749 readers
17 users here now
Be sure to follow the rule before you head out.
Rule: You must post before you leave.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Unfortunately, just like any private company, it can be bought or sold or just have new owners after the old ones die.
As a company, those great things they do for consumers can change on a whim, especially with new management and sudden need for revenue.
I mean, I remember people saying similar things about Gmail when it was invite only and had 1gb of storage. "It's the best, why would you use anything else?"
All this time later, not feeling those same things so much, you know?
Proton’s services have been fully open source and regularly audited for years now. Until an audit reveals something or they start locking things down, they are a great option. You shouldn’t refuse to use a service because they might change their mind one day. Unless you expect everyone to roll their own everything.
Gmail was never open source. It was just very ahead of its time with its integrations/offerings.
Sadly, when it comes to privacy, yes you should. Because privacy today does not equal privacy tomorrow. You can't magic all your data out of their systems if things change. That's the issue. I can take their privacy promises today, but if those promises can be changed on a whim by new owners... what good is that privacy promise? It isn't.
Proton sells privacy. A privacy that can be rescinded.
I know it's kind of an elitist attitude, but yeah, I fucking do. If they're really concerned about their privacy.
Ed Snowden didn't roll up to Glenn Greenwald and go "Yeah, just use any off-the-shelf messaging service that says its private." No, he made Greenwald roll up his own.
asdfasdfasdfasdf
Nope, just people who care about their privacy.
I am living in reality, and you're literally making my argument for me.
Just because I understand the implications doesn't mean I'm a privacy nut myself. I understand the limitations of privacy on the internet, which is why I felt the need to comment on the idea that as long as someone else controls it, it's not really private. It's much like cryptocurrency in that respect "Not your keys, not your crypto."
I'm not saying everyone should do this, but people who are using services like ProtonMail who think they're a panacea are fucking naive and really should be considering better options if they're that concerned.
The only way to have real privacy is to disconnect from it all, own your own hardware, and internet connection. I don't mean renting one from Xfinity. I mean literally owning your own infrastructure. It's nearly impossible unless you're ridiculously rich and incredibly tech savvy. Even with that, your data will still pass through other infrastructure not owned by you.
Yet people are dumping money into privacy services whose privacy rules can be changed at any time.
It's great they're all open source, but you're still putting your data on their servers. If the business changes hands, or just changes how they operate, you only have their word that your data is removed, if you want to remove it.
That's the point I'm making. If you really want online privacy, you're going to have to go real far to get it, and putting your faith in third parties is just the same game we've been playing for decades already. When you give you data to a business, it's no longer "your" data, it is now a business record.
Sorry that talking about the reality of it means I should go out into the woods myself or something. You can accept the reality without feeling the need to do it yourself, you know? It's why such services are pointless because they can't actually offer you a permanent promise of privacy.
asdfasfasdf
@SnotFlickerman what do you work at facebook or something? this kinda privacy doomerism is honestly way worse than any false promises by nordvpn or whatever.
nobody should evaluate security or privacy by looking at something and saying 'is this perfect?' because of course it isnt. security is all about understanding the risks youre taking, and choosing to accept risks that are manageable - and that's absolutely something like proton can help you do
@SnotFlickerman where's your Lemmy instance
Don’t bother he’s a troll