Technology

a group called Youth for Climate was doing direct action in paris - occupying empty buildings near Place Sainte-Marthe to protest gentrification and airbnb bullshit. pretty standard stuff. they used a protonmail address to coordinate french cops wanted to know who was behind the email. proton is swiss so france couldnt just demand it. so they went thru europol, who asked swiss authorities, who then issued a court order to proton heres the part that matters: proton wasnt already logging this persons IP. the swiss court ordered them to start logging it. proton complied, collected the IP going forward, and handed it over. activist got arrested. charges were trespassing, theft, property damage protons response was basically “we had no choice, swiss law, we support activists but cant break the law for you.” they also quietly edited their website - it used to say “we do not keep any IP logs which can be linked to your anonymous email account.” now it doesnt say that the CEO said they didnt even know it was about climate activists when they got the order. which… okay? thats not really the defense you think it is my guy the takeaway: • proton can be legally compelled to start logging you specifically • swiss “privacy” folds when another country wants you bad enough • encrytpion doesnt protect metadata • if your doing anything that might piss off a state, use tor. proton even says this themselvs now