Why You Shouldn’t Trust Proton for Privacy

[Zexyo]

Why you should keep away from Proton​

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Many YouTubers who are sponsored by Proton are telling users how Proton has a no log policy, and is the best VPN ever.
However this is FAR from the truth.

ProtonVPN and all their other apps are NOT privacy focused. They use the word "Privacy" for marketing because in reality they're just one massive honeypot.

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Proton has disclosed user information ​

Proton has disclosed user information to law enforcement in a number of documented cases
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What Proton has handed over​

According to Proton’s own transparency reports and reporting on specific cases, the data disclosed has included:​

• IP addresses tied to account access
• Recovery email addresses
• Account metadata
• Payment or billing information (for paid accounts)
• Timestamps and login-related metadata

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2021 French climate activist case​

This became the most famous controversy around Proton.


Swiss authorities approved a French request related to activists occupying buildings in Paris. Proton was legally ordered to begin logging the suspect’s IP address, which was later provided to authorities and reportedly helped identify the user.
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2025–2026 “Cop City” protestor case​

Reports and discussions in 2026 described Proton providing payment-related metadata for a paid account after legal demands routed through Swiss authorities and the FBI. The information reportedly helped identify a protest-related suspect.
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Scale of disclosures​

Proton’s transparency reports show thousands of legal orders per year for Proton Mail:​

Year	Legal Orders	Complied With
2025	9,301	8,313
2024	11,023	10,368
2023	6,378	5,971
2022	6,995	5,957
2021	6,243	4,920