On Wednesday, the CEOs of four massive tech companies — Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon — testified before a congressional investigation about those companies’ anti-competitive practices. The CEOs were eager to portray their companies as under constant threat from competitors. However, the congressional subcommittee raised multiple examples of the companies using their power to spy on, …

TikTok, the video-sharing platform owned by the Chinese social media giant ByteDance, is one of the most popular social media services in the world, with an estimated 800 million users. However, its zealous data collection, use of Chinese infrastructure, and its parent company’s close ties to the Chinese Communist Party make it a perfect tool …

From Hong Kong to Minneapolis, protesters around the world are standing up for their human rights. The right to peaceful assembly and protest are bedrocks of democracy, and we support everyone’s ability to exercise these rights. We created ProtonMail to protect people’s privacy and freedom from encroaching surveillance. For this reason, activists around the world …

The number of data requests the US government sent to Google has increased 510% since 2010. US government requests to Facebook have also increased 364% since the beginning of 2013. The databases of private companies are increasingly being used to monitor individuals with little transparency into the process. In 2013, when Edward Snowden revealed the …

Nearly all public health experts say we will have to employ testing and tracing on a massive scale to combat the spread of COVID-19. This has led a number of countries and tech companies to develop coronavirus contact tracing apps for smartphones. The idea is that such an app would allow someone who tested positive …

Many companies that handle personal information reassure their users by saying that all the data is “anonymized.” If you don’t know any better, that sounds reassuring. However, the method most companies use to anonymize data and the size of modern databases make it easy for attackers to re-identify individuals. From medical records to cell phone …

Zoom has seen a flood of new users as the COVID-19 outbreak forces more and more employees to transition to working from home. Zoom’s big selling point is its near-frictionless video calls. However, new users should be aware of the company’s privacy practices. By looking through its privacy policy and some of its support documents, …

During this American presidential election campaign season, politicians have scored points calling out tech companies for abusing the personal data of their users. Yet many political campaigns are engaged in very similar practices.  Political campaigns are now sophisticated data operations that collect mass amounts of personal information from their supporters and potential voters. Their methodology …

Every once in a while, we are asked the question, why should I pay for ProtonMail when I can use Gmail for free? Or why should I pay for ProtonMail when there are cheaper email services available? This is actually a good question worthy of a deeper discussion.  Google isn’t actually free First, it’s important …

The Internet of Things has come a long way since the turn of the century when it was a buzzword used by futurists and entrepreneurs. Although not yet as ubiquitous as some predicted a decade ago, Internet-connected devices have crept into many aspects of our daily lives. Now, with everything from vacuum cleaners to climate …

The smartphone is one of the most invasive devices ever invented. It’s easy to forget that, of course, because we are so familiar with them, and they are so useful. But while you might value your smartphone for the convenience it gives you, tech companies value it for an entirely different reason: it is collecting …

Your web browser is the vehicle that carries you around the Internet to your desired websites. As such, it knows precisely what sites you have visited, how long you spent browsing them, and what you clicked on (or almost clicked on). Anyone who has access to your web browser can have a window into your …