this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2023
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Privacy
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It was hardly a scandal. They complied with their local laws, as would be expected. They’re very well-known to be a swiss company. Complying with swiss law shouldn’t be a surprise.
A more fair criticism would be that, after this event they changed the precise wording in their marketing (and maybe tos?) to more accurately reflect what they could offer.
The scandal didn't lie in following court orders, it lied in the marketing and the fact that the French ToS lacked any nuance to indicate that it would even be a possibility that ip would be logged.
Furthermore, even when dealt with court orders, other companies that don't tout privacy to be one of their core values, have chosen to fight such orders in court.
Proton could've at least tried to show that they were putting their money where their mouth is, by challenging the order.
They told the guy they were going to start logging his activities and he kept going anyway. It's not Proton's job to get shut down or fight an endless slew of legal battles.
If a government is coming after you, Proton isn't the solution to your privacy needs. Know your threat model and ignore FUD.