A Swiss email provider used by more than 100 million users worldwide has said that it will withdraw from the EU market if proposed ‘Chat Control’ regulations come into force.
Now, Proton Mail, which describes itself as “the world’s largest secure email service,” has warned that implementation will force it to close all operations within the bloc. Dutch journalist Eric van de Beek claimed on Tuesday that officials from the organisation told him they would “never abandon its users, nor will we ever undermine our encryption.”
If forced to choose, we would rather be blocked than comply with legislation that weakens fundamental security and privacy.
The service previously said it would be willing to take Brussels to court “to defend our users” from anti-privacy laws. Its founder, Andy Yen, has also urged European citizens to contact their national government representatives “and tell them you oppose Chat Control and support strong encryption and your right to privacy.”
Yen said in August that Chat Control “undermines encryption, exposes everyone to new security risks and potential false negatives and opens the door to mass surveillance and government abuse.”
For these reasons, we again strongly oppose Chat Control, and we’re not alone. Security experts, civil society groups and privacy advocates are sounding the alarm. If passed, Chat Control would undermine digital privacy in Europe.
The Signal messaging app—which likewise secures its communications with end-to-end encryption, meaning only the sender and intended recipient can read a message—has also made its opposition to Chat Control clear, saying it will leave the EU market if the plans come into effect. Its president, Meredith Whittaker, said the organisation would rather do this “than undermine our privacy guarantees.”
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
