<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><channel><title>The Proton Blog</title><description>News from the front lines of privacy and security</description><link>https://proton.me/blog/</link><language>en</language><feed_url>https://proton.me/blog/feed</feed_url><item><title>Easily manage synced folders with Optimize Storage in Proton Drive for Windows</title><link>https://proton.me/blog/proton-drive-windows-optimize-storage</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://proton.me/blog/proton-drive-windows-optimize-storage</guid><description>We&apos;ve added a new Optimize Storage feature in Proton Drive for Windows to manage synced folders easily. See more updates you may have missed.</description><pubDate>Wed, 02 Apr 2025 08:00:43 GMT</pubDate><content:encoded> &lt;p&gt;Managing &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive&quot;&gt;encrypted cloud storage&lt;/a&gt; just got easier for &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/download&quot;&gt;Windows&lt;/a&gt; users. The new Optimize Storage feature gives you more control over how your synced folders behave and shows exactly what&amp;#8217;s happening in File Explorer. It’s a simpler, smarter way to stay organized while keeping your files encrypted and &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/download&quot;&gt;easy to access on all your devices&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Let’s take a closer look at how it works and what other important updates have recently landed in Proton Drive for Windows.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;text-center&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;btn inline-block rounded-full font-bold btn-small btn-solid-purple&quot; href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/download&quot;&gt;Get Proton Drive for Windows&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;What&amp;#8217;s changing with the Optimize Storage feature?&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;wp-block-image&quot;&gt; &lt;figure class=&quot;aligncenter size-large&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;1024&quot; height=&quot;512&quot; data-public-id=&quot;wp-pme/image_83233d3142/image_83233d3142.jpeg&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot; decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743537298/wp-pme/image_83233d3142/image_83233d3142.jpeg?_i=AA&quot; alt=&quot;The latest Proton Drive app for Windows introduces the new Optimize Storage feature&quot; class=&quot;wp-post-83232 wp-image-83233&quot; data-format=&quot;jpeg&quot; data-transformations=&quot;f_auto,q_auto&quot; data-filesize=&quot;57 KB&quot; data-optsize=&quot;23 KB&quot; data-optformat=&quot;image/webp&quot; data-percent=&quot;59.5&quot; data-permalink=&quot;https://pme.protonblog.tech/wp-admin/admin.php?page=cloudinary&amp;amp;section=edit-asset&amp;amp;asset=83233&amp;amp;lang=en&quot; data-version=&quot;1743537298&quot; data-seo=&quot;1&quot; srcset=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743537298/wp-pme/image_83233d3142/image_83233d3142.jpeg?_i=AA 1024w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_300,h_150,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743537298/wp-pme/image_83233d3142/image_83233d3142.jpeg?_i=AA 300w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_768,h_384,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743537298/wp-pme/image_83233d3142/image_83233d3142.jpeg?_i=AA 768w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1743537298/wp-pme/image_83233d3142/image_83233d3142.jpeg?_i=AA 1200w&quot; sizes=&quot;auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Optimize Storage setting gives you better visibility and control over your &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/proton-drive-windows-sync-folder&quot;&gt;local folders synced to Proton Drive&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;When you enable it, File Explorer clearly labels the folders you&amp;#8217;ve synced using the desktop app, making it easier to work in more folders scattered across your computer.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;wp-block-image&quot;&gt; &lt;figure class=&quot;aligncenter size-large&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;1024&quot; height=&quot;480&quot; data-public-id=&quot;wp-pme/image_8323834512/image_8323834512.png&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot; decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_480,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743537292/wp-pme/image_8323834512/image_8323834512.png?_i=AA&quot; alt=&quot;The Proton Drive file sync status in Windows&quot; class=&quot;wp-post-83232 wp-image-83238&quot; data-format=&quot;png&quot; data-transformations=&quot;f_auto,q_auto&quot; data-filesize=&quot;489 KB&quot; data-optsize=&quot;35 KB&quot; data-optformat=&quot;image/webp&quot; data-percent=&quot;92.9&quot; data-permalink=&quot;https://pme.protonblog.tech/wp-admin/admin.php?page=cloudinary&amp;amp;section=edit-asset&amp;amp;asset=83238&amp;amp;lang=en&quot; data-version=&quot;1743537292&quot; data-seo=&quot;1&quot; srcset=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_480,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743537292/wp-pme/image_8323834512/image_8323834512.png?_i=AA 1024w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_300,h_141,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743537292/wp-pme/image_8323834512/image_8323834512.png?_i=AA 300w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_768,h_360,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743537292/wp-pme/image_8323834512/image_8323834512.png?_i=AA 768w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1743537292/wp-pme/image_8323834512/image_8323834512.png?_i=AA 1200w&quot; sizes=&quot;auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;You can decide whether folder contents are always available locally or offloaded automatically by Windows when storage is low — all while staying safely synced to Proton Drive.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Just like before, if your synced folders contain large files (such as videos), you can right-click them in File Explorer to &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/proton-drive-windows-on-demand-sync&quot;&gt;make them cloud-only&lt;/a&gt; and free up space.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;text-center&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;btn inline-block rounded-full font-bold btn-small btn-solid-purple&quot; href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/download&quot;&gt;Get Proton Drive for Windows&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;What else is new in Proton Drive for Windows?&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Here are a couple of recent updates you might have missed on the Windows app:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Available for Windows on ARM&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;If you’re using a Windows laptop or tablet with an ARM chip, you can enjoy the full Proton Drive experience optimized for your device:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;Securely access your files across all devices&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Keep your files safely stored in the cloud, protected by &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/security&quot;&gt;Proton Drive’s end-to-end encryption&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Free up space on your device by making large, unused files cloud-only or by turning on Optimize Storage.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Translated into 10 languages&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Windows app is now available in 10 languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Russian, and Turkish. More people around the world can use Proton Drive in the language they&amp;#8217;re most comfortable with, while still getting the same strong privacy and security.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Get Proton Drive now&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/proton-drive-windows-app&quot;&gt;Proton Drive for Windows&lt;/a&gt; now gives you more control over your storage, better folder visibility in File Explorer, native ARM support, and more languages — all while keeping your files private and secure.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/download&quot;&gt;Update now&lt;/a&gt; to start using these new features! If you’re new to Proton, you’ll be joining a &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/community&quot;&gt;community-driven company&lt;/a&gt; that puts your privacy and needs first.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Got ideas for what we should build next? Share your feedback with us on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtonDrive/&quot;&gt;Reddit&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://protonmail.uservoice.com/forums/932839-proton-drive&quot;&gt;User Voice&lt;/a&gt;, or &lt;a href=&quot;https://x.com/ProtonDrive&quot;&gt;X&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;wp-block-embed__wrapper&quot;&gt; &lt;iframe loading=&quot;lazy&quot; title=&quot;Proton Drive Basics &amp;amp; Key Features&quot; width=&quot;750&quot; height=&quot;422&quot; src=&quot;https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/r0sA9Duj5q4?feature=oembed&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allow=&quot;accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share&quot; referrerpolicy=&quot;strict-origin-when-cross-origin&quot; allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/figure&gt; </content:encoded><category>Product updates</category><category>Proton Drive</category><author>Anant Vijay</author></item><item><title>Better than ever: the new Proton Drive 2.0 for macOS</title><link>https://proton.me/blog/proton-drive-macos-app-update</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://proton.me/blog/proton-drive-macos-app-update</guid><description>Rebuilt from the ground up, the new Proton Drive for macOS app offers enhanced performance, improved reliability, and a refreshed design</description><pubDate>Wed, 02 Apr 2025 07:59:47 GMT</pubDate><content:encoded> &lt;p&gt;Cloud storage lets you keep all your most important and cherished files — from bank records to family photos — within reach. This means your &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive&quot;&gt;cloud storage&lt;/a&gt; must be fast, work seamlessly across devices, and protect your privacy. &lt;strong&gt;That’s why we’ve rebuilt &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/download&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Proton Drive for macOS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; from the ground up&lt;/strong&gt; — offering a refreshed design, enhanced performance, and up to double the speed, all while protecting all your files with &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/security/end-to-end-encryption&quot;&gt;end-to-end encryption&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;text-center&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;btn inline-block rounded-full font-bold btn-small btn-solid-purple&quot; href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/download&quot;&gt;Try Proton Drive 2.0 for macOS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;What’s new in Proton Drive 2.0 for macOS?&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;The launch of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/proton-drive-mac-app&quot;&gt;first Proton Drive for macOS app&lt;/a&gt; in 2023 was a significant milestone in our journey to make our &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive&quot;&gt;end-to-end encrypted cloud storage&lt;/a&gt; available to everyone — whether you’re using a Mac, Windows, Android, or iOS device, you should be able to seamlessly back up your files and access them across platforms without sacrificing functionality, privacy, or security.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Following the app’s launch, you shared feedback on how we could make your experience better — from performance improvements to new features or tools. Your insights are at the heart of everything we do and, today, we’re excited to unveil &lt;strong&gt;Proton Drive 2.0 for macOS &lt;/strong&gt;as a direct result of that.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Access files in a few clicks&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-large&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;1024&quot; height=&quot;512&quot; data-public-id=&quot;wp-pme/01access_and_upload_files2x/01access_and_upload_files2x.png&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot; decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995268/wp-pme/01access_and_upload_files2x/01access_and_upload_files2x.png?_i=AA&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;wp-post-83022 wp-image-83035&quot; data-format=&quot;png&quot; data-transformations=&quot;f_auto,q_auto&quot; data-filesize=&quot;2 MB&quot; data-optsize=&quot;106 KB&quot; data-optformat=&quot;image/webp&quot; data-percent=&quot;93.9&quot; data-permalink=&quot;https://pme.protonblog.tech/wp-admin/admin.php?page=cloudinary&amp;amp;section=edit-asset&amp;amp;asset=83035&amp;amp;lang=en&quot; data-version=&quot;1742995268&quot; data-seo=&quot;1&quot; srcset=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995268/wp-pme/01access_and_upload_files2x/01access_and_upload_files2x.png?_i=AA 1024w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_300,h_150,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995268/wp-pme/01access_and_upload_files2x/01access_and_upload_files2x.png?_i=AA 300w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_768,h_384,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995268/wp-pme/01access_and_upload_files2x/01access_and_upload_files2x.png?_i=AA 768w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1536,h_768,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995268/wp-pme/01access_and_upload_files2x/01access_and_upload_files2x.png?_i=AA 1536w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_2048,h_1024,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995268/wp-pme/01access_and_upload_files2x/01access_and_upload_files2x.png?_i=AA 2048w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1568,h_784,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995268/wp-pme/01access_and_upload_files2x/01access_and_upload_files2x.png?_i=AA 1568w&quot; sizes=&quot;auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt; &lt;p&gt;Now, when you open Proton Drive from your desktop menu bar, you’ll immediately see recently edited, uploaded, and synced files —&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;letting you pick up where you left off without digging through any folders.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Experience faster uploads and downloads&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-large&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;1024&quot; height=&quot;512&quot; data-public-id=&quot;wp-pme/02improved_speed2x/02improved_speed2x.png&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot; decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995295/wp-pme/02improved_speed2x/02improved_speed2x.png?_i=AA&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;wp-post-83022 wp-image-83027&quot; data-format=&quot;png&quot; data-transformations=&quot;f_auto,q_auto&quot; data-filesize=&quot;2 MB&quot; data-optsize=&quot;92 KB&quot; data-optformat=&quot;image/webp&quot; data-percent=&quot;94.6&quot; data-permalink=&quot;https://pme.protonblog.tech/wp-admin/admin.php?page=cloudinary&amp;amp;section=edit-asset&amp;amp;asset=83027&amp;amp;lang=en&quot; data-version=&quot;1742995295&quot; data-seo=&quot;1&quot; srcset=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995295/wp-pme/02improved_speed2x/02improved_speed2x.png?_i=AA 1024w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_300,h_150,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995295/wp-pme/02improved_speed2x/02improved_speed2x.png?_i=AA 300w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_768,h_384,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995295/wp-pme/02improved_speed2x/02improved_speed2x.png?_i=AA 768w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1536,h_768,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995295/wp-pme/02improved_speed2x/02improved_speed2x.png?_i=AA 1536w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_2048,h_1024,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995295/wp-pme/02improved_speed2x/02improved_speed2x.png?_i=AA 2048w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1568,h_784,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995295/wp-pme/02improved_speed2x/02improved_speed2x.png?_i=AA 1568w&quot; sizes=&quot;auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt; &lt;p&gt;Proton Drive 2.0 for macOS lets you upload and download files at up to double the speed.&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;Collaborate with teammates, tackle urgent projects, and stay ahead of deadlines without delays.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Monitor the status of your files&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-large&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;1024&quot; height=&quot;512&quot; data-public-id=&quot;wp-pme/03monitor_the_status_of_upload2x/03monitor_the_status_of_upload2x.png&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot; decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995281/wp-pme/03monitor_the_status_of_upload2x/03monitor_the_status_of_upload2x.png?_i=AA&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;wp-post-83022 wp-image-83031&quot; data-format=&quot;png&quot; data-transformations=&quot;f_auto,q_auto&quot; data-filesize=&quot;2 MB&quot; data-optsize=&quot;95 KB&quot; data-optformat=&quot;image/webp&quot; data-percent=&quot;94.6&quot; data-permalink=&quot;https://pme.protonblog.tech/wp-admin/admin.php?page=cloudinary&amp;amp;section=edit-asset&amp;amp;asset=83031&amp;amp;lang=en&quot; data-version=&quot;1742995281&quot; data-seo=&quot;1&quot; srcset=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995281/wp-pme/03monitor_the_status_of_upload2x/03monitor_the_status_of_upload2x.png?_i=AA 1024w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_300,h_150,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995281/wp-pme/03monitor_the_status_of_upload2x/03monitor_the_status_of_upload2x.png?_i=AA 300w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_768,h_384,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995281/wp-pme/03monitor_the_status_of_upload2x/03monitor_the_status_of_upload2x.png?_i=AA 768w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1536,h_768,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995281/wp-pme/03monitor_the_status_of_upload2x/03monitor_the_status_of_upload2x.png?_i=AA 1536w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_2048,h_1024,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995281/wp-pme/03monitor_the_status_of_upload2x/03monitor_the_status_of_upload2x.png?_i=AA 2048w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1568,h_784,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742995281/wp-pme/03monitor_the_status_of_upload2x/03monitor_the_status_of_upload2x.png?_i=AA 1568w&quot; sizes=&quot;auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt; &lt;p&gt;Keep track of your files’ sync status from your desktop menu bar. Whether you’re backing up&amp;nbsp;a folder or uploading a large file, Proton Drive’s improved status tracker keeps you informed and lets you address errors without interrupting your workflow.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;text-center&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;btn inline-block rounded-full font-bold btn-small btn-solid-purple&quot; href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/download&quot;&gt;Upgrade to Proton Drive 2.0 for macOS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;The power of Proton, from your desktop&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;With these upgrades, Proton Drive 2.0 for macOS continues to offer its core features for privacy-first, secure cloud storage that puts you in control of your data.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Protect your data&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;When you use Proton Drive, your files are end-to-end encrypted on your device before being uploaded to our secure cloud, meaning no one — not even Proton — can access your files, photos, or documents. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Sync files seamlessly&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Save or edit files in the Proton Drive folder on your Mac, and they’ll automatically be mirrored across devices, so you can always access the latest version — even if your device is lost or damaged.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Access files offline&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Proton Drive for macOS lets you download cloud-stored files or folders to access them even without an internet connection. You can edit and save your work while offline, and Proton Drive will sync the changes when you reconnect.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;text-center&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;btn inline-block rounded-full font-bold btn-small btn-solid-purple&quot; href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/download&quot;&gt;Download Proton Drive 2.0 for macOS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;The future of Proton Drive&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;With the launch of the new macOS app, Proton Drive offers a secure, high-performance, and trustworthy alternative to traditional cloud storage providers — protecting your data from being accessed or exploited by algorithms, advertisers, governments, or malicious actors.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Over the next few months, we’ll enhance the app further by adding more new features and releasing the Software Development Kit (SDK) that the new macOS app is based on, which we anticipate will serve as the basis for a highly requested Linux app.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;If you haven&amp;#8217;t already introduced the power of Proton Drive to your desktop, g&lt;a href=&quot;https://account.proton.me/drive/signup&quot;&gt;et started&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/download&quot;&gt;download Proton Drive 2.0 for macOS &lt;/a&gt;today. As always, your feedback is invaluable in guiding our future product development.&lt;/p&gt; </content:encoded><category>Product updates</category><category>Proton Drive</category><author>Anant Vijay</author></item><item><title>World Backup Day: 8 data loss stories — and how to protect yours</title><link>https://proton.me/blog/world-backup-day</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://proton.me/blog/world-backup-day</guid><description>Celebrate World Backup Day by learning from data loss stories, from family heirlooms to $500,000 in Bitcoin, and how to avoid a similar fate.</description><pubDate>Mon, 31 Mar 2025 10:40:51 GMT</pubDate><content:encoded> &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/how-to-back-up-files&quot;&gt;Data loss&lt;/a&gt; can happen to anyone, whether it&amp;#8217;s a failed hard drive, accidental deletion, or a &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/ransomware-attack&quot;&gt;ransomware attack&lt;/a&gt;. And when it does, the consequences can range from inconvenient to devastating.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;A 2025 global survey by &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.westerndigital.com/company/newsroom/press-releases/2025/2025-03-25-western-digital-world-backup-day&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;Western Digital&lt;/a&gt; found that while 87% of people say they back up their data, 63% have already experienced data loss. The takeaway is clear: Backing up your data is essential — and it must be done right.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In recognition of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.worldbackupday.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;World Backup Day&lt;/a&gt;, celebrated on March 31, we’re highlighting some real-world data loss stories that happened to individuals and organizations. We&amp;#8217;re also showing you some tips for how to protect your backups using &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive&quot;&gt;Proton Drive&lt;/a&gt; so you can avoid a similar fate.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;The personal costs of losing data&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Here are a few stories that show just how personal data loss can be, even when some form of backup was in place:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Lost over $500,000 in Bitcoin&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;A user &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/iqcl36/comment/g4rddee/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;lost access to their Bitcoin wallet&lt;/a&gt; holding 27 BTC after a RAID failure destroyed the encrypted hardware ID used as the access key. RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is a way of combining multiple hard drives for speed or backup, but not all setups protect against total failure. Recovery attempts, including generous bounties, failed. When Bitcoin later soared, they realized they had lost over $500,000 of digital assets. If there had been a separate copy of the encryption key stored safely somewhere else, like a &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/wallet&quot;&gt;Bitcoin wallet&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/file-storage&quot;&gt;encrypted cloud storage&lt;/a&gt;, this wouldn&amp;#8217;t have probably happened.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Researcher’s manuscript lost on a USB stick&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;A researcher spent years &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/apyzxi/a_horror_story_reminder_always_back_up_your/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;writing a book manuscript&lt;/a&gt; and kept the only copy on a USB stick. When they asked IT to help retrieve it from the lab&amp;#8217;s backup system, they realized that external drives weren’t included. The stick was lost, likely in the parking garage, and despite a building-wide search, it was never found. The data was just a few megabytes, but the impact was crushing.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Moving truck fire destroyed all backups&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;One individual lost years of documents and training materials when a moving truck — carrying both their computer and all physical backups — &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/v8viyn/what_is_your_worst_data_loss_nightmare/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;burned to the ground&lt;/a&gt;. Despite having multiple backup formats, everything was stored together.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Lightning strike wiped out family photos&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;A power surge likely caused by a lightning strike &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/v8viyn/comment/ibtrvy5/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;wiped out someone&amp;#8217;s computer&lt;/a&gt; and the backup drive connected to it, taking nearly every digital family photo they ever took. With no cloud backup in place, only a few old film prints and some recent phone photos were left.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;When organizations lose data&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Data loss at scale can have a bigger impact, and it’s not always just financial. Check out these stories about losing data at an organizational level:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Ransomware deleted backups, and the ransom didn’t work&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;In the early 2010s, an employee at a mid-sized company clicked a phishing link inside an email that &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.reddit.com/r/storage/comments/iqc72f/comment/g4seqno/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;triggered the CryptoLocker ransomware&lt;/a&gt;. It encrypted over 150,000 files, including billing records and customer contracts, and deleted the backups. The company paid the ransom but never received the decryption key since the hacker was arrested the next day. Recovery took three months and cost the company over $50,000.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Toy Story 2 nearly deleted&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;In 1998, &lt;a href=&quot;https://thenextweb.com/news/how-pixars-toy-story-2-was-deleted-twice-once-by-technology-and-again-for-its-own-good&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;Pixar almost lost Toy Story 2&lt;/a&gt; when an animator unintentionally ran a command that deleted 90% of the film’s production files. They hadn’t made a backup in months, and years of work were nearly gone. Luckily, a technical director working from home had a personal copy — and saved the entire project.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;NASA erased the original Moon landing footage&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;In the 1980s, &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11_missing_tapes&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;NASA erased&lt;/a&gt; the original high-quality footage of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The decision made sense at the time since digital preservation wasn’t a priority, tape storage was expensive, and the real-time broadcast had been archived in lower quality. Still, it’s a sobering reminder that even priceless history can disappear if you don&amp;#8217;t actively preserve it.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Kyoto University lost 77 TB from a backup script&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;In 2021, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/university-loses-77tb-of-research-data-due-to-backup-error/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;Kyoto University lost 34 million research files&lt;/a&gt; worth 77 &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/how-many-gb-in-a-tb-storage-capacity&quot;&gt;terabytes&lt;/a&gt; after a backup script on its supercomputer system went wrong. Four research groups lost all their work, and it wasn’t due to hardware failure or ransomware — the backup system, meant to safeguard data, was ultimately the cause of loss. It’s a tough reminder that even backups need backups — especially offsite or in the cloud.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;How to protect your backups&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Data loss isn’t always dramatic. Often, it happens quietly, through human error, failed backups, or a misplaced drive. But regardless of the cause, prevention follows the same core principles:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;The rule is as follows:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;Keep &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/3-2-1-backup&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;three &lt;/strong&gt;copies of your data&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Keep these copies on &lt;strong&gt;two &lt;/strong&gt;different types of storage media&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Make sure &lt;strong&gt;one &lt;/strong&gt;copy is offsite&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;This way, if one copy gets corrupted, lost, or stolen, you still have a fallback. And by keeping one copy offsite — preferably in encrypted cloud storage — you’re protected against physical disasters like fire, theft, or power surges that could wipe out everything in one place.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;With Proton Drive, you can securely back up your data in end-to-end encrypted cloud storage. Start with 5 GB free, or upgrade to our Plus plan for 200 GB of space.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;text-center&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;btn inline-block rounded-full font-bold btn-small btn-solid-purple&quot; href=&quot;https://account.proton.me/drive/signup?plan=drive2022&amp;#038;billing=12&amp;#038;coupon=PREMIUM_DRIVE_DEAL&amp;#038;ref=drsignp&amp;#038;currency=USD&quot;&gt;Get 60% off Proton Drive&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Automate your backups&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Relying only on manual backups is risky since they&amp;#8217;re easy to forget, delay, or skip. Automating the process means your files are backed up regularly and consistently.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Proton Drive syncs your files to ensure you always have the latest version in the cloud. On mobile devices, you can allow &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/enable-photo-backup&quot;&gt;automatic photo and video backups&lt;/a&gt;. On desktops, you can &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/proton-drive-windows-sync-folder&quot;&gt;choose specific folders to sync&lt;/a&gt;, so any new or changed file will be backed up by default.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Protect your data with strong encryption&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Your backups should stay secure and private, no matter where they are stored. &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/what-is-end-to-end-encryption&quot;&gt;End-to-end encryption&lt;/a&gt; means your files are encrypted before they leave your device and can only be decrypted by you. Even your cloud provider can’t see their contents. This helps protect your data from hackers, leaks, or unauthorized access.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/security/end-to-end-encryption&quot;&gt;Proton Drive uses end-to-end encryption by design&lt;/a&gt;, so only you can access your files — not even we can read them.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Double check your backups regularly&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;A file might look like it’s saved, but corrupted data, misconfigured systems, or failed syncs could make it unusable. That’s why it’s important to periodically verify that your backup actually works — not just that it exists.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/proton-drive-windows-track-synced-folders&quot;&gt;Proton Drive desktop app shows real-time sync status&lt;/a&gt;, so you can catch any issues early. Plus, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/version-history&quot;&gt;version history&lt;/a&gt; feature lets you roll back to earlier versions of your files if something goes wrong, whether it&amp;#8217;s a bad edit or accidental overwrite. For example, if you work in Proton Docs, you can access document history and easily restore an earlier copy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Be mindful when sharing and collaborating on data&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;If you’re backing up files with family members or teammates — like shared photo libraries or project folders — you might give them access to update or add content. While convenient, it increases the chance of accidental edits or deletions.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;With Proton Drive, you can &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/file-sharing&quot;&gt;securely share folders&lt;/a&gt; with edit access via email or public links, protect these links with passwords and expiration dates, or turn them off to revoke access. For extra safety, you can keep your core backups private and create separate shared folders just for collaboration.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Keep your data safe with Proton Drive&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;What these data loss stories have in common is the lesson they leave behind: having good backup habits can often save the day. &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive&quot;&gt;Proton Drive&lt;/a&gt; makes it easy to build those habits with &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/security&quot;&gt;end-to-end encrypted cloud storage&lt;/a&gt;, automatic syncing, and secure file access on all your devices.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Like all Proton apps, Drive is &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/community/open-source&quot;&gt;open source&lt;/a&gt; and independently audited, so anyone can review your codebase and verify our claims. Plus, we never show ads or sell the little data we do have on you.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Celebrate World Backup Day with &lt;a href=&quot;https://account.proton.me/drive/signup?plan=drive2022&amp;amp;billing=12&amp;amp;coupon=PREMIUM_DRIVE_DEAL&amp;amp;ref=drsignp&amp;amp;currency=USD&quot;&gt;60% off 200 GB of encrypted cloud storage&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; </content:encoded><category>Privacy guides</category><author>Elena Constantinescu</author></item><item><title>Spring clean your digital life with Proton</title><link>https://proton.me/blog/spring-clean-digital-life</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://proton.me/blog/spring-clean-digital-life</guid><description>Take control of your digital life by spring cleaning your inbox, passwords, and cloud storage using Proton&apos;s suite of privacy-first tools.</description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Mar 2025 16:28:07 GMT</pubDate><content:encoded> &lt;p&gt;Physical spring cleaning gets all the attention, but your digital life might also need a dusting. Whether you&amp;#8217;re trying to &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/how-to-free-up-disk-space&quot;&gt;free up disk space&lt;/a&gt; on your devices or you just feel &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/clean-email&quot;&gt;overwhelmed by your overstuffed inbox&lt;/a&gt; and nearly full &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive&quot;&gt;cloud storage&lt;/a&gt;, it doesn’t take long before digital clutter gets out of control.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;According to a &lt;a href=&quot;https://explodingtopics.com/blog/data-generated-per-day&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;study&lt;/a&gt;, the world creates over 400 million &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/how-many-gb-in-a-tb-storage-capacity&quot;&gt;terabytes&lt;/a&gt; of data daily — from emails and social posts to photos, videos, and shared documents. In fact, 90% of the world’s data was created in just the last two years, and data generation is only accelerating.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;How to free up space and stay organized online&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;This year, take a few minutes to reset. Here are nine Proton features that can help you clear out space, declutter your devices, and put a fresh polish on your internet life.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;1. Auto-delete junk mail and save space&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-large&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;1024&quot; height=&quot;512&quot; data-public-id=&quot;wp-pme/image-41_8306865151/image-41_8306865151.png&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot; decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081764/wp-pme/image-41_8306865151/image-41_8306865151.png?_i=AA&quot; alt=&quot;The Proton Mail settings highlight the &amp;quot;Auto-delete unwanted messages&amp;quot; option&quot; class=&quot;wp-post-83049 wp-image-83068&quot; data-format=&quot;png&quot; data-transformations=&quot;f_auto,q_auto&quot; data-filesize=&quot;242 KB&quot; data-optsize=&quot;76 KB&quot; data-optformat=&quot;image/webp&quot; data-percent=&quot;68.6&quot; data-permalink=&quot;https://pme.protonblog.tech/wp-admin/admin.php?page=cloudinary&amp;amp;section=edit-asset&amp;amp;asset=83068&amp;amp;lang=en&quot; data-version=&quot;1743081764&quot; data-seo=&quot;1&quot; srcset=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081764/wp-pme/image-41_8306865151/image-41_8306865151.png?_i=AA 1024w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_300,h_150,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081764/wp-pme/image-41_8306865151/image-41_8306865151.png?_i=AA 300w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_768,h_384,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081764/wp-pme/image-41_8306865151/image-41_8306865151.png?_i=AA 768w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1536,h_768,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081764/wp-pme/image-41_8306865151/image-41_8306865151.png?_i=AA 1536w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1568,h_784,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081764/wp-pme/image-41_8306865151/image-41_8306865151.png?_i=AA 1568w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081764/wp-pme/image-41_8306865151/image-41_8306865151.png?_i=AA 1800w&quot; sizes=&quot;auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;blob:https://pme.protonblog.tech/288a1402-aec0-4683-ba58-b468914bf348&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;inherit&quot; height=&quot;inherit&quot;&gt;Spam and trash folders can quietly stack up, taking up storage and creating inbox clutter. Manually deleting a few emails is manageable — but when it turns into hundreds, it quickly becomes a chore.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/mail&quot;&gt;Proton Mail&lt;/a&gt;, however, can &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/auto-delete-unwanted-messages&quot;&gt;automatically delete unwanted messages&lt;/a&gt; older than 30 days, and you can enable it on the Plus plan, allowing you to avoid inbox build-up from the start.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;text-center&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;btn inline-block rounded-full font-bold btn-small btn-solid-purple&quot; href=&quot;https://account.proton.me/signup?plan=mail2022&amp;#038;billing=1&amp;#038;coupon=TRYMAILPLUS0724&amp;#038;product=mail&amp;#038;ref=spring&quot;&gt;Auto-delete spam for $1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;2. Reduce inbox noise with Unsubscribe&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-large&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;1024&quot; height=&quot;512&quot; data-public-id=&quot;wp-pme/image-42_830726955d/image-42_830726955d.png&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot; decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081748/wp-pme/image-42_830726955d/image-42_830726955d.png?_i=AA&quot; alt=&quot;The Proton Mail &amp;quot;Unsubscribe&amp;quot; button&quot; class=&quot;wp-post-83049 wp-image-83072&quot; data-format=&quot;png&quot; data-transformations=&quot;f_auto,q_auto&quot; data-filesize=&quot;226 KB&quot; data-optsize=&quot;81 KB&quot; data-optformat=&quot;image/webp&quot; data-percent=&quot;64.1&quot; data-permalink=&quot;https://pme.protonblog.tech/wp-admin/admin.php?page=cloudinary&amp;amp;section=edit-asset&amp;amp;asset=83072&amp;amp;lang=en&quot; data-version=&quot;1743081748&quot; data-seo=&quot;1&quot; srcset=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081748/wp-pme/image-42_830726955d/image-42_830726955d.png?_i=AA 1024w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_300,h_150,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081748/wp-pme/image-42_830726955d/image-42_830726955d.png?_i=AA 300w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_768,h_384,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081748/wp-pme/image-42_830726955d/image-42_830726955d.png?_i=AA 768w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1536,h_768,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081748/wp-pme/image-42_830726955d/image-42_830726955d.png?_i=AA 1536w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1568,h_784,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081748/wp-pme/image-42_830726955d/image-42_830726955d.png?_i=AA 1568w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081748/wp-pme/image-42_830726955d/image-42_830726955d.png?_i=AA 1800w&quot; sizes=&quot;auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;blob:https://pme.protonblog.tech/7c2aca08-e82e-4d9d-b382-86e9a7ca0592&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;inherit&quot; height=&quot;inherit&quot;&gt;Not every cluttered inbox is full of spam — sometimes it’s just newsletters you no longer read.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/mail&quot;&gt;Proton Mail&lt;/a&gt; makes it easy to &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/auto-unsubscribe&quot;&gt;unsubscribe with one click&lt;/a&gt;, right from the top of the email — no need to scroll through fine print or search for opt-out links. And if you manually mark an email as spam, Proton will try to unsubscribe you automatically. These features are available to all Proton Mail users.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;text-center&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;btn inline-block rounded-full font-bold btn-small btn-solid-purple&quot; href=&quot;https://proton.me/mail/download&quot;&gt;Get Proton Mail&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;3. Keep your inbox tidy with custom filters&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-large&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;1024&quot; height=&quot;512&quot; data-public-id=&quot;wp-pme/image-43_830769a36d/image-43_830769a36d.png&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot; decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081731/wp-pme/image-43_830769a36d/image-43_830769a36d.png?_i=AA&quot; alt=&quot;Proton Mail shows how to move emails to other folders&quot; class=&quot;wp-post-83049 wp-image-83076&quot; data-format=&quot;png&quot; data-transformations=&quot;f_auto,q_auto&quot; data-filesize=&quot;235 KB&quot; data-optsize=&quot;81 KB&quot; data-optformat=&quot;image/webp&quot; data-percent=&quot;65.7&quot; data-permalink=&quot;https://pme.protonblog.tech/wp-admin/admin.php?page=cloudinary&amp;amp;section=edit-asset&amp;amp;asset=83076&amp;amp;lang=en&quot; data-version=&quot;1743081731&quot; data-seo=&quot;1&quot; srcset=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081731/wp-pme/image-43_830769a36d/image-43_830769a36d.png?_i=AA 1024w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_300,h_150,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081731/wp-pme/image-43_830769a36d/image-43_830769a36d.png?_i=AA 300w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_768,h_384,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081731/wp-pme/image-43_830769a36d/image-43_830769a36d.png?_i=AA 768w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1536,h_768,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081731/wp-pme/image-43_830769a36d/image-43_830769a36d.png?_i=AA 1536w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1568,h_784,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081731/wp-pme/image-43_830769a36d/image-43_830769a36d.png?_i=AA 1568w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081731/wp-pme/image-43_830769a36d/image-43_830769a36d.png?_i=AA 1800w&quot; sizes=&quot;auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;blob:https://pme.protonblog.tech/5c651012-7963-45eb-bb7f-45d5f8f4b55c&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;inherit&quot; height=&quot;inherit&quot;&gt;Your inbox may look clean, but without a sorting system, it fills up fast — and staying on top of every message becomes a daily task.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/mail&quot;&gt;Proton Mail&lt;/a&gt; provides &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/email-inbox-filters&quot;&gt;filters&lt;/a&gt;, folders, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/using-folders-labels&quot;&gt;color-coded labels&lt;/a&gt; that allow you to set rules for organizing your email automatically, so you don’t have to keep dragging things around or risk missing something important. You can get started with one filter on the Free plan or switch to the Plus plan for as many filters as you need.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;text-center&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;btn inline-block rounded-full font-bold btn-small btn-solid-purple&quot; href=&quot;https://account.proton.me/signup?plan=mail2022&amp;#038;billing=1&amp;#038;coupon=TRYMAILPLUS0724&amp;#038;product=mail&amp;#038;ref=spring&quot;&gt;Get unlimited email filters for $1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;4. Avoid future inbox clutter with email aliases&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-large&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;1024&quot; height=&quot;512&quot; data-public-id=&quot;wp-pme/image-44_8308009c2d/image-44_8308009c2d.png&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot; decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081714/wp-pme/image-44_8308009c2d/image-44_8308009c2d.png?_i=AA&quot; alt=&quot;Proton Pass offers to hide your email with an alias when signing up for online services&quot; class=&quot;wp-post-83049 wp-image-83080&quot; data-format=&quot;png&quot; data-transformations=&quot;f_auto,q_auto&quot; data-version=&quot;1743081714&quot; data-seo=&quot;1&quot; data-filesize=&quot;215 KB&quot; data-optsize=&quot;80 KB&quot; data-optformat=&quot;image/webp&quot; data-percent=&quot;62.8&quot; data-permalink=&quot;https://pme.protonblog.tech/wp-admin/admin.php?page=cloudinary&amp;amp;section=edit-asset&amp;amp;asset=83080&amp;amp;lang=en&quot; srcset=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081714/wp-pme/image-44_8308009c2d/image-44_8308009c2d.png?_i=AA 1024w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_300,h_150,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081714/wp-pme/image-44_8308009c2d/image-44_8308009c2d.png?_i=AA 300w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_768,h_384,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081714/wp-pme/image-44_8308009c2d/image-44_8308009c2d.png?_i=AA 768w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1536,h_768,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081714/wp-pme/image-44_8308009c2d/image-44_8308009c2d.png?_i=AA 1536w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1568,h_784,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081714/wp-pme/image-44_8308009c2d/image-44_8308009c2d.png?_i=AA 1568w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081714/wp-pme/image-44_8308009c2d/image-44_8308009c2d.png?_i=AA 1800w&quot; sizes=&quot;auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;blob:https://pme.protonblog.tech/c0ff0b66-65c7-442d-958c-c9b5cb00fb5e&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;inherit&quot; height=&quot;inherit&quot;&gt;Every time you hand over your email address — like for a free download, account sign-up, or flash sale — you risk inviting a steady stream of unwanted messages. Even if you unsubscribe later, some senders don’t take the hint.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/pass&quot;&gt;Proton Pass&lt;/a&gt; helps prevent the mess before it starts. With &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/pass/aliases&quot;&gt;email aliases&lt;/a&gt;, you can generate a new, unique address for every sign-up, keeping your main inbox private and clean. The Free plan includes 10 aliases, while premium users don&amp;#8217;t have a limit.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;text-center&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;btn inline-block rounded-full font-bold btn-small btn-solid-purple&quot; href=&quot;https://account.proton.me/signup?plan=pass2023&amp;#038;billing=1&amp;#038;coupon=PASSPLUSINTRO2024&amp;#038;product=pass&amp;#038;ref=spring&quot;&gt;Use unlimited aliases for $1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;5. Back up your photos and videos automatically&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-large&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;1024&quot; height=&quot;512&quot; data-public-id=&quot;wp-pme/image-45_830844ed8c/image-45_830844ed8c.png&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot; decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081698/wp-pme/image-45_830844ed8c/image-45_830844ed8c.png?_i=AA&quot; alt=&quot;Proton Drive shows backed up photos&quot; class=&quot;wp-post-83049 wp-image-83084&quot; data-format=&quot;png&quot; data-transformations=&quot;f_auto,q_auto&quot; data-version=&quot;1743081698&quot; data-seo=&quot;1&quot; data-filesize=&quot;427 KB&quot; data-optsize=&quot;138 KB&quot; data-optformat=&quot;image/webp&quot; data-percent=&quot;67.8&quot; data-permalink=&quot;https://pme.protonblog.tech/wp-admin/admin.php?page=cloudinary&amp;amp;section=edit-asset&amp;amp;asset=83084&amp;amp;lang=en&quot; srcset=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081698/wp-pme/image-45_830844ed8c/image-45_830844ed8c.png?_i=AA 1024w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_300,h_150,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081698/wp-pme/image-45_830844ed8c/image-45_830844ed8c.png?_i=AA 300w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_768,h_384,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081698/wp-pme/image-45_830844ed8c/image-45_830844ed8c.png?_i=AA 768w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1536,h_768,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081698/wp-pme/image-45_830844ed8c/image-45_830844ed8c.png?_i=AA 1536w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1568,h_784,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081698/wp-pme/image-45_830844ed8c/image-45_830844ed8c.png?_i=AA 1568w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081698/wp-pme/image-45_830844ed8c/image-45_830844ed8c.png?_i=AA 1800w&quot; sizes=&quot;auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;blob:https://pme.protonblog.tech/4ef99e7a-5c5c-4c92-be80-43baaeddf7ad&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;inherit&quot; height=&quot;inherit&quot;&gt;Your phone fills up fast with screenshots, shared memes, and years of photos and videos you want to keep. But without a &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/3-2-1-backup&quot;&gt;proper backup system&lt;/a&gt;, those files sit unorganized and vulnerable to loss or device failure.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;You can &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/enable-photo-backup&quot;&gt;enable automatic photos and video backups&lt;/a&gt; using &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/download&quot;&gt;Proton Drive for Android and iOS&lt;/a&gt;. All your memories will be securely synced in the background, easy to access on any device (including Windows and macOS), and ready to share with friends and family.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Free plan includes 5GB of cloud storage, and the Plus plan gives you 200GB — enough room for at least 50,000 photos.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;text-center&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;btn inline-block rounded-full font-bold btn-small btn-solid-purple&quot; href=&quot;https://account.proton.me/signup?plan=drive2022&amp;#038;billing=1&amp;#038;coupon=DRIVEPLUSINTRO2024&amp;#038;product=drive&amp;#038;ref=spring&quot;&gt;Get 200GB of cloud storage for $1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;6. Sync files across devices and access them anywhere&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-large&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;1024&quot; height=&quot;512&quot; data-public-id=&quot;wp-pme/image-37_830518f6d6/image-37_830518f6d6.png&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot; decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743079671/wp-pme/image-37_830518f6d6/image-37_830518f6d6.png?_i=AA&quot; alt=&quot;The Proton Drive &amp;quot;My computer&amp;quot; tab shows syncing folders and the &amp;quot;Optimize storage&amp;quot; option&quot; class=&quot;wp-post-83049 wp-image-83051&quot; data-format=&quot;png&quot; data-transformations=&quot;f_auto,q_auto&quot; data-version=&quot;1743079671&quot; data-seo=&quot;1&quot; data-filesize=&quot;563 KB&quot; data-optsize=&quot;62 KB&quot; data-optformat=&quot;image/webp&quot; data-percent=&quot;88.9&quot; data-permalink=&quot;https://pme.protonblog.tech/wp-admin/admin.php?page=cloudinary&amp;amp;section=edit-asset&amp;amp;asset=83051&amp;amp;lang=en&quot; srcset=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743079671/wp-pme/image-37_830518f6d6/image-37_830518f6d6.png?_i=AA 1024w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_300,h_150,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743079671/wp-pme/image-37_830518f6d6/image-37_830518f6d6.png?_i=AA 300w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_768,h_384,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743079671/wp-pme/image-37_830518f6d6/image-37_830518f6d6.png?_i=AA 768w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1536,h_768,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743079671/wp-pme/image-37_830518f6d6/image-37_830518f6d6.png?_i=AA 1536w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1568,h_784,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743079671/wp-pme/image-37_830518f6d6/image-37_830518f6d6.png?_i=AA 1568w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1743079671/wp-pme/image-37_830518f6d6/image-37_830518f6d6.png?_i=AA 1800w&quot; sizes=&quot;auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt; &lt;p&gt;Manually moving files between your devices can create duplicates. With the &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/download&quot;&gt;Proton Drive app for Windows&lt;/a&gt;, you can sync folders from your desktop and access them from other devices — including iOS and Android phones — through the &lt;strong&gt;My computer&lt;/strong&gt; tab.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Plus, the Optimize Storage feature helps keep your computer clutter-free by ensuring your files stay safely stored in encrypted cloud storage, even when local disk space is limited.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;text-center&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;btn inline-block rounded-full font-bold btn-small btn-solid-purple&quot; href=&quot;https://account.proton.me/signup?plan=drive2022&amp;#038;billing=1&amp;#038;coupon=DRIVEPLUSINTRO2024&amp;#038;product=drive&amp;#038;ref=spring&quot;&gt;Sync your files with 200GB for $1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;7. Clean up shared files and manage access easily&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-large&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;1024&quot; height=&quot;512&quot; data-public-id=&quot;wp-pme/image-38_83056b4bd1/image-38_83056b4bd1.png&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot; decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081809/wp-pme/image-38_83056b4bd1/image-38_83056b4bd1.png?_i=AA&quot; alt=&quot;Proton Drive shows settings to set an expiration date, set a link password, and stop sharing&quot; class=&quot;wp-post-83049 wp-image-83056&quot; data-format=&quot;png&quot; data-transformations=&quot;f_auto,q_auto&quot; data-version=&quot;1743081809&quot; data-seo=&quot;1&quot; data-filesize=&quot;201 KB&quot; data-optsize=&quot;79 KB&quot; data-optformat=&quot;image/webp&quot; data-percent=&quot;60.9&quot; data-permalink=&quot;https://pme.protonblog.tech/wp-admin/admin.php?page=cloudinary&amp;amp;section=edit-asset&amp;amp;asset=83056&amp;amp;lang=en&quot; srcset=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081809/wp-pme/image-38_83056b4bd1/image-38_83056b4bd1.png?_i=AA 1024w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_300,h_150,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081809/wp-pme/image-38_83056b4bd1/image-38_83056b4bd1.png?_i=AA 300w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_768,h_384,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081809/wp-pme/image-38_83056b4bd1/image-38_83056b4bd1.png?_i=AA 768w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1536,h_768,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081809/wp-pme/image-38_83056b4bd1/image-38_83056b4bd1.png?_i=AA 1536w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1568,h_784,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081809/wp-pme/image-38_83056b4bd1/image-38_83056b4bd1.png?_i=AA 1568w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081809/wp-pme/image-38_83056b4bd1/image-38_83056b4bd1.png?_i=AA 1800w&quot; sizes=&quot;auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;blob:https://pme.protonblog.tech/bdd5ceb3-6b98-4ff9-b0fa-04285898f559&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;inherit&quot; height=&quot;inherit&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/file-sharing&quot;&gt;Shared files&lt;/a&gt; can easily pile up, whether you’re sending work documents, receiving vacation photos, or collaborating on a project. Over time, it’s easy to lose track of what’s still accessible and who has access to it.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In the &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive&quot;&gt;Proton Drive&lt;/a&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Shared&lt;/strong&gt; tab, you can review all active shared links, see how many times a file was downloaded, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/drive-manage-access-shared-files&quot;&gt;revoke outdated access&lt;/a&gt; anytime. You can also switch to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/shared-with-me-windows&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Shared with me&lt;/strong&gt; tab&lt;/a&gt; to reduce visual clutter by removing files others have shared with you that you no longer need — it makes it easier to access the files you do still use.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=&quot;has-text-align-center&quot;&gt;Already using Proton Drive?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;text-center&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;btn inline-block rounded-full font-bold btn-small btn-solid-purple&quot; href=&quot;https://drive.proton.me/shared-urls&quot;&gt;Clean up your shared files&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;8. Update your account security&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-large&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;1024&quot; height=&quot;512&quot; data-public-id=&quot;wp-pme/image-39_830605767a/image-39_830605767a.png&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot; decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081791/wp-pme/image-39_830605767a/image-39_830605767a.png?_i=AA&quot; alt=&quot;Proton Pass shows Dark Web Monitoring and Password Health settings&quot; class=&quot;wp-post-83049 wp-image-83060&quot; data-format=&quot;png&quot; data-transformations=&quot;f_auto,q_auto&quot; data-version=&quot;1743081791&quot; data-seo=&quot;1&quot; data-filesize=&quot;203 KB&quot; data-optsize=&quot;79 KB&quot; data-optformat=&quot;image/webp&quot; data-percent=&quot;61.1&quot; data-permalink=&quot;https://pme.protonblog.tech/wp-admin/admin.php?page=cloudinary&amp;amp;section=edit-asset&amp;amp;asset=83060&amp;amp;lang=en&quot; srcset=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081791/wp-pme/image-39_830605767a/image-39_830605767a.png?_i=AA 1024w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_300,h_150,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081791/wp-pme/image-39_830605767a/image-39_830605767a.png?_i=AA 300w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_768,h_384,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081791/wp-pme/image-39_830605767a/image-39_830605767a.png?_i=AA 768w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1536,h_768,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081791/wp-pme/image-39_830605767a/image-39_830605767a.png?_i=AA 1536w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1568,h_784,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081791/wp-pme/image-39_830605767a/image-39_830605767a.png?_i=AA 1568w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081791/wp-pme/image-39_830605767a/image-39_830605767a.png?_i=AA 1800w&quot; sizes=&quot;auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;blob:https://pme.protonblog.tech/113b9e63-059c-4e42-bee7-a90b8855c9e0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;inherit&quot; height=&quot;inherit&quot;&gt;Using weak or repeated passwords — or skipping &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/two-factor-authentication-2fa&quot;&gt;two-factor authentication (2FA)&lt;/a&gt; — leaves your accounts vulnerable to attacks. Good security hygiene means regularly checking and updating them, but doing this manually can be time-consuming.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/pass/pass-monitor&quot;&gt;Proton Pass Monitor&lt;/a&gt; makes the process easier by flagging insecure passwords and accounts without 2FA, helping you quickly &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/pass/password-generator&quot;&gt;generate strong credentials&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/pass-2fa&quot;&gt;turn on extra protection&lt;/a&gt; where it’s needed. You can also &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/two-factor-authentication-2fa&quot;&gt;enable 2FA for your Proton Account&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;These features are available to all Pass users. If you upgrade to the Plus plan, you&amp;#8217;ll also get Dark Web Monitoring, which alerts you if your credentials appear in a data breach.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;text-center&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;btn inline-block rounded-full font-bold btn-small btn-solid-purple&quot; href=&quot;https://proton.me/pass/download&quot;&gt;Get Proton Pass&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;9. Fully control the passwords you share&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-large&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;1024&quot; height=&quot;512&quot; data-public-id=&quot;wp-pme/image-40_8306424170/image-40_8306424170.png&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot; decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081778/wp-pme/image-40_8306424170/image-40_8306424170.png?_i=AA&quot; alt=&quot;Proton Pass shows the option to share a secure link&quot; class=&quot;wp-post-83049 wp-image-83064&quot; data-format=&quot;png&quot; data-transformations=&quot;f_auto,q_auto&quot; data-version=&quot;1743081778&quot; data-seo=&quot;1&quot; data-filesize=&quot;270 KB&quot; data-optsize=&quot;65 KB&quot; data-optformat=&quot;image/webp&quot; data-percent=&quot;76&quot; data-permalink=&quot;https://pme.protonblog.tech/wp-admin/admin.php?page=cloudinary&amp;amp;section=edit-asset&amp;amp;asset=83064&amp;amp;lang=en&quot; srcset=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081778/wp-pme/image-40_8306424170/image-40_8306424170.png?_i=AA 1024w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_300,h_150,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081778/wp-pme/image-40_8306424170/image-40_8306424170.png?_i=AA 300w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_768,h_384,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081778/wp-pme/image-40_8306424170/image-40_8306424170.png?_i=AA 768w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1536,h_768,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081778/wp-pme/image-40_8306424170/image-40_8306424170.png?_i=AA 1536w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1568,h_784,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081778/wp-pme/image-40_8306424170/image-40_8306424170.png?_i=AA 1568w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1743081778/wp-pme/image-40_8306424170/image-40_8306424170.png?_i=AA 1800w&quot; sizes=&quot;auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;blob:https://pme.protonblog.tech/e733721c-a7e3-4465-986c-9b4ec80ff53c&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;inherit&quot; height=&quot;inherit&quot;&gt;Temporarily sharing an account — like someone borrowing your subscription account when traveling — often means sharing your password indefinitely or resetting it after they’re done. Neither option is secure. And if you’ve shared multiple passwords over time, it’s hard to keep track of who has access to what.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;With &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/pass&quot;&gt;Proton Pass&lt;/a&gt;, you can &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/pass/password-sharing&quot;&gt;share logins&lt;/a&gt;, payment info, identity details, or encrypted notes via secure links, set expiry dates or restrict the number or views, and revoke access anytime. Pass Plus users can share unlimited individual items this way, even with external contacts.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;text-center&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;btn inline-block rounded-full font-bold btn-small btn-solid-purple&quot; href=&quot;https://account.proton.me/signup?plan=pass2023&amp;#038;billing=1&amp;#038;coupon=PASSPLUSINTRO2024&amp;#038;product=pass&amp;#038;ref=spring&quot;&gt;Securely share logins for $1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;A lighter, cleaner, and more private digital life&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Spring cleaning your digital world is a great opportunity to reset, but what really makes it sustainable is using tools you trust.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;With Proton, every cleanup task you tackle — whether organizing your inbox, managing your shared files, or securing your passwords — happens within a secure, end-to-end encrypted ecosystem.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;We&amp;#8217;re &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/community/open-source&quot;&gt;open source&lt;/a&gt;, independently audited, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/community&quot;&gt;powered by a community&lt;/a&gt; that believes privacy is a fundamental right.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/mail&quot;&gt;Proton Mail&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive&quot;&gt;Drive&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/pass&quot;&gt;Pass&lt;/a&gt; work together seamlessly to protect your data without getting in your way. We never show ads, track you, or sell your data — because your digital life should belong to you, and you alone.&lt;/p&gt; </content:encoded><category>Privacy guides</category><author>Elena Constantinescu</author></item><item><title>What is ePHI? The difference between PHI and ePHI explained</title><link>https://proton.me/blog/ephi-vs-phi-what-is-the-difference</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://proton.me/blog/ephi-vs-phi-what-is-the-difference</guid><description>What is the difference between ePHI and PHI, and how can healthcare data can optimally be kept safe as it’s passed from one party to another?</description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Mar 2025 14:26:47 GMT</pubDate><content:encoded> &lt;p&gt;At a time when privacy has never been more fundamental to freedom, &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/mail&quot;&gt;secure email&lt;/a&gt; is a concern no matter the content. When that content is &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/securely-send-sensitive-information-via-email&quot;&gt;sensitive health information&lt;/a&gt; that could identify individuals and be used against them, the stakes are especially high.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Fear of being compromised in this way is widespread, growing, and based in grim reality, as bad actors take advantage of unprecedented degrees of health information sharing at the national level. That interoperability is crucial to the system’s costs and complexities coming down, but many patients worry about how their data is being used and stored.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In its 2023 &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.healthgorilla.com/home/privacyreport&quot;&gt;State of Patient Privacy report&lt;/a&gt;, health information network and interoperability provider &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.healthgorilla.com&quot;&gt;Health Gorilla&lt;/a&gt; surveyed more than 1,200 patients and found 95 percent were concerned about data breaches and leaks. When it came to Big Tech companies like &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/is-outlook-hipaa-compliant&quot;&gt;Microsoft&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/is-google-workspace-hipaa-compliant&quot;&gt;Google&lt;/a&gt;, and Apple storing their records, 65 percent of respondents expressed distrust.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“The majority of patients don’t believe that vendors are doing enough to protect their health data and have serious concerns about a potential breach of their medical records,” Health Gorilla co-founder and CEO Steve Yaskin said in a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.healthgorilla.com/blog/health-gorillas-patient-privacy-report-reveals-distrust-of-health-data-sharing-in-light-of-data-breaches-and-expanded-access#:~:text=95%25%20of%20patients%20expressed%20concern,that%20handle%20their%20health%20data.&quot;&gt;news release&lt;/a&gt; on the report. Yaskin further reflected: “As we make progress in setting a universal floor for interoperability, patients must have confidence in the system for healthcare interoperability to work.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Building confidence begins with patients understanding exactly what health information is, and what parts of it are federally protected and when. This article explains what constitutes and differentiates PHI (protected health information) and ePHI (electronic protected health information), and how data can optimally be kept safe as it travels through an increasingly vast and vulnerable system.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;What is protected health information (PHI)?&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;In 1996, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/hipaa-compliance&quot;&gt;Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)&lt;/a&gt; passed. This set of laws reformed the insurance industry and laid out privacy and security standards for &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/hipaa-compliance&quot;&gt;proper handling of patient data&lt;/a&gt; by health plans and providers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;That is why every time you see a doctor, you’re required to sign a form notifying you of HIPAA privacy practices around your PHI.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which administers and enforces HIPAA through its Office for Civil Rights (OCR), PHI is any individually identifiable information tied to records of health conditions, care provided, and payment for services. Your personal details by themselves aren’t protected—it’s the pairing with health information that constitutes PHI.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;That could be anything from a medical bill to the results of genetic testing, and the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/laws-regulations/index.html&quot;&gt;HIPAA Privacy Rule&lt;/a&gt; covers such PHI in any medium, spoken, handwritten, electronic or otherwise.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;What is electronic protected health information (ePHI)?&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;PHI becomes ePHI under HIPAA when it is generated, sent/received, or stored electronically by a “&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/covered-entities/index.html&quot;&gt;covered entity&lt;/a&gt;” (providers, insurance plans, clearinghouses that process health data) or a “&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/guidance/business-associates/index.html&quot;&gt;business associate&lt;/a&gt;” (individuals or organizations that help carry out healthcare functions, like email providers, finance companies, benefit managers, and lawyers).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;That could be email content, an electronic health record, or data maintained in a cloud. The Privacy Rule’s protections apply here, but ePHI is also subject to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/security/laws-regulations/index.html&quot;&gt;HIPAA Security Rule&lt;/a&gt;, which demands covered entities and business associates:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;Ensure ePHI remains confidential and available to permitted parties&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Guard against impermissible uses/disclosures and threats to ePHI integrity &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Ensure workforce compliance around all of the above&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;What health information isn’t protected under HIPAA?&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;These basic definitions of PHI and ePHI are reasonably straightforward, but &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hipaajournal.com/what-is-considered-protected-health-information-under-hipaa/&quot;&gt;confusion&lt;/a&gt; persists. Partly because some people assume blanket protection of personal identifiers (everything from your name and email to fingerprints), and partly because qualifying for protection depends on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hipaajournal.com/ephi/&quot;&gt;particular combinations of factors&lt;/a&gt; (like whether the PHI has been &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/special-topics/de-identification/index.html#protected&quot;&gt;de-identified&lt;/a&gt; or is held by an entity not covered under HIPAA, such as public schools or employers keeping employee health records on file).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.healthit.gov/topic/information-blocking/understanding-electronic-health-information-ehi&quot;&gt;lists additional types of health information to which HIPAA doesn’t apply&lt;/a&gt;. These include psychotherapy notes; information gathered for use in civil, criminal, and administrative actions and proceedings; and the data of anyone who has been dead more than 50 years.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Naturally, within a system of HIPAA’s scope and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/security/hipaa-security-rule-nprm/factsheet/index.html&quot;&gt;ever-evolving nature&lt;/a&gt; as technology and policy advance, nuances and exceptions abound.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“In a perfect world, an &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hipaajournal.com/considered-phi-hipaa/&quot;&gt;explanation&lt;/a&gt; of what HIPAA Protected Health Information is would be covered in the Notice of Privacy Practices,” independent compliance advocate &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hipaajournal.com&quot;&gt;The HIPAA Journal&lt;/a&gt; says of the fine print on forms patients sign when receiving care. “However, most Notices of Privacy Practices already contain more information than most patients are prepared to read; and… explaining what is covered under HIPAA—and what is not—will likely raise more questions than answers for patients wishing to exercise their Privacy Rule rights.”&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Common misconceptions about what constitutes PHI/ePHI are evidenced by the volume of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/compliance-enforcement/data/enforcement-highlights/index.html&quot;&gt;complaints about HIPAA privacy violations&lt;/a&gt;. Nearly 375,000 have been submitted to the federal government since 2003, when the Privacy Rule went into effect. OCR’s running tally/breakdown indicates that 72 percent of those cases were dismissed. Some because investigators found no evidence of violation (15,561 cases, as of October 2024), and the rest (255,953 cases) because complaints didn’t present a case eligible for enforcement.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The top reason OCR gives for the latter is that the organization being complained about wasn’t covered by HIPAA. Organizations that are covered have a heavy responsibility to meet the highest standard of &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/hipaa-compliance&quot;&gt;compliance&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Ensuring the best protections for ePHI&amp;nbsp;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Those charged with keeping PHI safe are &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/covered-entities/index.html&quot;&gt;legion&lt;/a&gt;. In the provider column, there are doctors, dentists, and psychologists, clinics, nursing homes, and pharmacies. Under health plans, there are insurance companies, HMOs, company health plans, and government programs like Medicare and Medicaid. The middlemen known as healthcare clearinghouses are in there too, checking provider claims for accuracy before shuttling them on to health plans.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;All of these entities depend on HIPAA-covered business associates to provide a secure platform for electronically exchanging patient data. If they can’t trust the tools they’re using, they risk violating patient privacy and suffering the consequences, from corrective action to civil and criminal penalties.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;They are charged with securing ePHI on their servers and guaranteeing that it stays safe in transit anywhere else. Various platforms offer email services that&amp;nbsp; meet these requirements. &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/business&quot;&gt;Proton for Business&lt;/a&gt; exceeds them.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;As the world’s largest provider of open-source and end-to-end encrypted email, &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me&quot;&gt;Proton&lt;/a&gt; serves over 50,000 organizations, including HIPAA covered entities. The maintenance and transmission of ePHI goes beyond compliance with formidable Proton security features, including:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption to protect emails stored on servers, and Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption to protect that content on its way to other recipients&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Open PGP &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/what-is-end-to-end-encryption&quot;&gt;end-to-end-encryption&lt;/a&gt;, so data is only accessible to intended recipients—even if the receiving email platform is an unsecure third party&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Comprehensive &lt;a href=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/v1714645074/wp-pme/PROTONMAIL_BUSINESS_ASSOCIATE_AGREEMENT-not-signed-2_31106b30cd/PROTONMAIL_BUSINESS_ASSOCIATE_AGREEMENT-not-signed-2_31106b30cd.pdf?_i=AA&quot;&gt;Business Associate Agreement&lt;/a&gt; (BAA) coverage, meaning all email features (including calendar and storage) comply with HIPAA &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Robust physical security in terms of control over server integrity  &lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;Even on the scale of an organization, switching to Proton from other providers (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, etc.) is seamless with the &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/easyswitch&quot;&gt;Easy Switch tool&lt;/a&gt;. Data is migrated, support is provided throughout the process, and workforces need no training to engage with the user-friendly interface.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Patients who are sending or receiving PHI can take steps to protect their own information. Like knowing &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/check-if-email-leaked#protect&quot;&gt;how to check if their email is compromised&lt;/a&gt;, and how to use &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/how-passwords-become-compromised&quot;&gt;password best practices&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/what-is-two-factor-authentication-2fa&quot;&gt;two-factor authentication&lt;/a&gt;. They can learn all the features of email and the &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/bcc-email&quot;&gt;hazards of improper use&lt;/a&gt;. They can &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/mail&quot;&gt;switch to Proton&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Still, the great burden of protecting health information falls to the big cogs in the machine. Working with Proton means sharing that commitment to security, as well as building a better internet where privacy is the default.&lt;/p&gt; </content:encoded><category>Privacy guides</category><author>Edward Komenda</author></item><item><title>If you used 23andMe, your DNA could soon be for sale</title><link>https://proton.me/blog/delete-your-23andme-data</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://proton.me/blog/delete-your-23andme-data</guid><description>If you used 23andMe, your data could soon be for sale. Here&apos;s how to delete your data from 23andMe — and why you might want to do so sooner than later.</description><pubDate>Thu, 27 Mar 2025 14:18:31 GMT</pubDate><content:encoded> &lt;p&gt;On March 23, the home DNA testing service &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/dna-testing-firm-23andme-files-chapter-11-bankruptcy-sell-itself-2025-03-24/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;23andMe filed for bankruptcy&lt;/a&gt; due to weakening demand for its service and a lack of trust in the brand after a &lt;a href=&quot;https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/04/23andme-confirms-hackers-stole-ancestry-data-on-6-9-million-users/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;major data breach in 2023&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;To cover its debts, 23andMe is exploring the possibility of selling the DNA data it collected from more than 15 million people. While the company’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/03/24/millions-of-peoples-dna-up-for-sale-as-23andme-goes-bankrup/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;chairman, Mark Jensen, has said&lt;/a&gt;, “We are committed to continuing to safeguard customer data and being transparent about the management of user data going forward, and data privacy will be an important consideration in any potential transaction,” the company is seeking to maximize the value of its assets, including this data.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;That is why we advise anyone who used 23andMe to delete their information.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Why you should delete data from 23andMe&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Unlike other health information, which is protected by &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/hipaa-compliance&quot;&gt;HIPAA&lt;/a&gt;, there are almost no legal guardrails protecting genetic data collected by companies like 23andMe. If a company buys the data 23andMe has collected, it will likely be able to use it however it wants — despite assurances from 23andMe representatives.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;This data is also incredibly sensitive. You can&amp;#8217;t change your DNA, so once an organization collects this data and links it to you, your only recourse is to hope you can get them to delete it. And since DNA is passed from parent to child, 23andMe&amp;#8217;s dataset could be used to identify you if a relative sent it a sample. This is not a hypothetical concern — in 2018, a famous serial killer from the 1970s and 80s was &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.forbes.com/sites/jvchamary/2020/06/30/genetic-genealogy-golden-state-killer/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;identified and arrested&lt;/a&gt; using this type of DNA information.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;How to delete your data from 23andMe&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Deleting your account is the best way to secure your data, even if doing so doesn&amp;#8217;t necessarily mean 23andMe will delete your genetic information (see &lt;a href=&quot;#your-rights&quot;&gt;What are your rights?&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;To delete (most of) your personal information from 23andMe’s databases, you must:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ol class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;Sign in to your account at &lt;a href=&quot;https://you.23andme.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;https://you.23andme.com/&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Go to &lt;strong&gt;Settings &lt;/strong&gt;in your profile, then find &lt;strong&gt;23andMe Data &lt;/strong&gt;and select &lt;strong&gt;View.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;If you want to keep a copy of your genetic information or reports, you must download them now. You will not be able to do so after you delete your data.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;To delete your data, scroll to &lt;strong&gt;Delete Data&lt;/strong&gt; and select &lt;strong&gt;Permanently Delete Data&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;23andMe will send an email to the address it has on file. You must follow the link in the email to complete the deletion. Once you tap or click this link, the deletion process begins automatically, and you will lose access to your account. You cannot reverse, cancel, or undo this step.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;p&gt;According to 23andMe’s support articles on &lt;a href=&quot;https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004944654-What-s-In-Your-Account-Settings&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;account settings&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/en-us/articles/212170688-Requesting-23andMe-Account-Closure&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;closing your account&lt;/a&gt;, once you’ve submitted this request, the company will delete data associated with all your accounts and discard any biological samples you gave it permission to hold. If you participated in 23andMe Research, your genetic and self-reported information will no longer be used in any future projects.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Who already has your data?&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Unfortunately, if 23andMe has your genetic data, it has likely already been shared with numerous parties. Reporting by &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/dna-testing-firm-23andme-files-chapter-11-bankruptcy-sell-itself-2025-03-24/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;Reuters&lt;/a&gt; revealed that 23andMe had given access to its database to at least 30 pharmaceutical and biotech companies — and many of these agreements have not been disclosed.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The good news is that this genetic data is probably not linked to your name or other identifying information. The bad news is that even if your DNA is separated from your name and other identifiers, it’s almost impossible to completely anonymize. Studies have shown it’s simple to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1229566&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;re-identify genetic information&lt;/a&gt; using free, publicly accessible internet resources.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot; id=&quot;your-rights&quot;&gt;What are your rights?&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;It is hard to know if 23andMe will delete user&amp;#8217;s genetic information when they delete their account.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Its main &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.23andme.com/legal/privacy/full-version/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;privacy statement&lt;/a&gt; says:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;blockquote class=&quot;wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow&quot;&gt; &lt;p&gt;23andMe and/or our contracted genotyping laboratory will retain your Genetic Information, date of birth, and sex as required for compliance with applicable legal obligations &amp;#8230; even if you chose to delete your account.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, its privacy statements for the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.23andme.com/legal/eu-privacy-notice/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;European Economic Area, the UK, and Switzerland&lt;/a&gt; and&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.23andme.com/legal/us-privacy/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;US states with strong privacy laws&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Virginia, and Washington) say explicitly that you have the right to delete your &amp;#8220;personal information&amp;#8221;. If you go back to the main privacy statement, genetic information is included as a type of personal information 23andMe collects.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Our understanding suggests the company will retain your genetic information unless you live in the&amp;nbsp;European Economic Area, the UK, Switzerland, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Virginia, or Washington and have requested its deletion by exercising your privacy rights by sending an email to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:privacy@23andMe.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;privacy@23andMe.com&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;If you live elsewhere, it seems the company will retain your genetic information along with your birthdate and sex even if you delete your account.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;We have written to 23andMe for clarification. We will update this article with their response.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The US’s legal patchwork makes it equally difficult to speak briefly about who has what rights, but according to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/10/sale-23andmes-data-would-be-bad-privacy-heres-what-customers-can-do&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;Electronic Frontier Foundation&lt;/a&gt;, roughly a dozen states have laws that would probably require 23andMe to obtain user consent before transferring their data in an acquisition. If you live in one of those states, you could simply refuse to allow 23andMe to transfer your data.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;The US needs a national privacy law&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;The inconsistent privacy laws across the US enable the mass collection and sharing of personal information on the internet. And no federal laws completely cover or protect users of online DNA testing by services like 23andMe and its competitors.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Policymakers must pass stronger laws that protect our data, especially sensitive genetic information. Our DNA can reveal all sorts of information, including our relatives, physical characteristics, and genetically determined diseases. This type of information deserves the same strong protection health information receives in other contexts.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Once data is shared, it can’t be called back&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;The situation surrounding 23andMe encapsulates the problem of the modern internet — once you share your information with a company (in many cases, you “share” your information simply by using a company’s app or visiting its website), it can share that information with countless third parties without you ever knowing (unless you closely read the privacy policy). DNA information is especially sensitive, and it’s very hard to prevent re-identification.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;This is also why Proton uses end-to-end and zero-access encryption wherever possible. We encrypt your information so we cannot access it, allowing you to remain in control of your information, confident that it cannot be shared with anyone else.&lt;/p&gt; </content:encoded><category>Privacy guides</category><author>Richie Koch</author></item><item><title>Wary of US surveillance? Try these European alternatives to Big Tech</title><link>https://proton.me/blog/european-tech-alternatives</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://proton.me/blog/european-tech-alternatives</guid><description>Take back control of your digital life with privacy-focused European alternatives to US Big Tech apps and services.</description><pubDate>Thu, 27 Mar 2025 10:00:47 GMT</pubDate><content:encoded> &lt;p&gt;How we use the internet is largely shaped by a handful of &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/big-tech-pays-fines-under-3-weeks&quot;&gt;US-based tech giants&lt;/a&gt; — Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta in particular. While they may make life more convenient, that convenience comes at a cost: your privacy. Their apps collect vast amounts of personal data, using it to refine algorithms, target ads, and — when required — even &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/big-tech-data-requests-surge&quot;&gt;share that data with governments and law enforcement&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Laws like &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/us-warrantless-surveillance&quot;&gt;Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)&lt;/a&gt; allow the US government to demand access to your private data without your knowledge and without a warrant — whether or not you live in the US. Every message, search, and stored file on a US-based platform exists in &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/us-warrantless-surveillance#section-702-loophole&quot;&gt;a system designed to watch, categorize, and&lt;/a&gt; sometimes &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/us-warrantless-surveillance#section-702-loophole&quot;&gt;hand over your information&lt;/a&gt; with ease to authorities. And because mass surveillance isn’t up for debate, the question is no longer &lt;em&gt;whether&lt;/em&gt; your data is being collected, but who controls it.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;There are tools, however, that let you take back that control. If you want to use the internet without giving up your most sensitive, valuable data, many European services offer a privacy-forward alternative.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Let&amp;#8217;s start with some of our own. We founded Proton in Switzerland in 2014 specifically to resist mass surveillance and abuse of personal data by US tech companies. Our solution was to place &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/what-is-end-to-end-encryption&quot;&gt;end-to-end encryption&lt;/a&gt; at the core of everything we do —&amp;nbsp;by encrypting your data using keys you control, nobody but you and the people you communicate with ever have access to your private information.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/mail&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Proton Mail&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Gmail alternative)&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Proton Drive&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Google Drive alternative)&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/docs&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Proton Docs&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Google Docs alternative)&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/pass&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Proton Pass&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Google Password Manager alternative)&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/calendar&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Proton Calendar&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Google Calendar alternative)&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://protonvpn.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Proton VPN&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (VPN alternative to US-based services)&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;However, the reach of Big Tech extends into every aspect of life online. If you want to fully escape the US surveillance web, here are some privacy-friendly European alternatives across various categories.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Privacy-focused European alternatives&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Search engines&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Google tracks your searches and builds an extensive profile on you. Try these European services instead:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.qwant.com/?l=en&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Qwant&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (France): A privacy-first search engine that doesn’t track users; currently based on Bing, &lt;a href=&quot;https://blog.ecosia.org/eusp/&quot;&gt;Qwant and Ecosia&lt;/a&gt; have teamed up to build a European search index&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ecosia.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ecosia&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;(Germany): Privacy-focused search engine that funds tree planting with ad revenue&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mojeek.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mojeek&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (UK): Independent search index with strict privacy policies&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Web browsers&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Chrome is notorious for &lt;a href=&quot;https://protonvpn.com/blog/google-ip-protection&quot;&gt;tracking browsing behavior&lt;/a&gt;. Switch to these alternatives:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://vivaldi.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Vivaldi&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Norway): Customizable browser with strong privacy features&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://librewolf.net/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;LibreWolf&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (EU): Firefox-based browser focused on security and privacy&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.waterfox.net/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Waterfox&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (UK): Strips out Firefox’s telemetry and tracking&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Messaging apps&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;WhatsApp (owned by Meta) collects metadata on every message you send. Consider:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://threema.ch/en&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Threema&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Switzerland): End-to-end encrypted, metadata-minimizing chat&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://olvid.io/en/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Olvid&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (France): No phone number required, highly secure&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://getsession.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Session&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (EU): Decentralized, anonymous chat&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://delta.chat/en/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Delta&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://delta.chat/en/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chat&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (EU): Uses standard email for encrypted messaging&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://element.io/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Element (Matrix)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (EU): Open-source, federated messaging&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wire.com/en/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wire&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;(Switzerland): Secure, end-to-end encrypted messaging for personal and business use&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Navigation and maps&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Google Maps collects massive amounts of location data. You can try instead:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://osmand.net/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;OsmAnd&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (EU): Open-source maps with offline navigation&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://organicmaps.app/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Organic Maps&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (EU): No tracking, minimal battery usage&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.magicearth.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Magic Earth&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Netherlands): AI-powered maps without data harvesting&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wego.here.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HERE WeGo&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Germany): Major competitor to Google Maps&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Web hosting&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Move your website or server to a privacy-friendly host:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ovhcloud.com/fr/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;OVHcloud&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;(France): Large EU host with a range of cloud and server options&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.infomaniak.com/en&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Infomaniak&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;(Switzerland): Swiss-based hosting with strong privacy protections&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.hetzner.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hetzner&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;(Germany): Affordable, high-performance hosting based in the EU&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;More European alternatives to US tech giants&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;For those looking to completely cut reliance on American tech, here are additional European alternatives across different categories:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Streaming and media&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.deezer.com/en/offers&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Deezer&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (France): Alternative to Apple Music&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.qobuz.com/ch-fr/discover&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Qobuz&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (France): High-resolution music streaming&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://soundcloud.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;SoundCloud&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Germany): Independent artist platform&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://open.spotify.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spotify&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;(Sweden): Popular music streaming platform with a massive global catalog&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://joinpeertube.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PeerTube&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (EU): Decentralized YouTube alternative&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dailymotion.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;DailyMotion&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (France): YouTube competitor with privacy focus&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Note-taking&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://standardnotes.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Standard Notes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Switzerland): Encrypted note-taking alternative to Google Docs&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://cryptpad.fr/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CryptPad&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (France): Secure, collaborative Google Docs alternative&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Social media&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://joinmastodon.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mastodon&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Germany): Decentralized alternative to Twitter/X&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://join-lemmy.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lemmy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (EU): Federated Reddit-style platform&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://friendi.ca/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Friendica&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (EU): Alternative to Facebook&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Translation services&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.deepl.com/en/translator&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;DeepL&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Germany): High-quality translation alternative to Google Translate&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.reverso.net/text-translation&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reverso&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (France): AI-powered translation tool&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.modernmt.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ModernMT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Italy): Business-grade translation service&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Video calling and conferencing&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://jitsi.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jitsi&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (EU): Open-source Google Meet alternative&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://whereby.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Whereby&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Norway): Privacy-focused video conferencing&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Operating systems&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://e.foundation/e-os/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;/e/ OS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (France): DeGoogled Android alternative&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://sailfishos.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;SailfishOS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Finland): Secure mobile OS&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ubuntu.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ubuntu&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (UK): Popular Linux-based desktop OS&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://linuxmint.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Linux Mint&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (EU): Windows/Mac alternative&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Developer tools&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://codeberg.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Codeberg&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (EU): Alternative to GitHub&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.jetbrains.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;JetBrains&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Czech Republic): IDE competitor to Visual Studio&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.sonarsource.com/products/sonarqube/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;SonarQube&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Switzerland): Code analysis tools&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Design tools&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.blender.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Blender&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Netherlands): Free, open-source 3D animation tool used to create &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/open-source-flow-oscar&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Flow&lt;/em&gt;, the Latvian film that beat Disney at the Oscars&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Affinity&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (UK): Alternative to Adobe tools&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.sketch.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sketch&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (Netherlands): Alternative to Figma&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Take back control&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;As governments expand their reach, often with the help of Big Tech, control over our lives online is at risk of slipping away. But you are not powerless. You can still choose services that put privacy first — where your messages, files, and personal details aren’t collected, stored, or shared.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Proton is &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/swiss-privacy-honest-competition&quot;&gt;based in Switzerland&lt;/a&gt;, where strong privacy laws keep your information beyond the reach of mass surveillance. You remain in control, always. And because our services use &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/what-is-end-to-end-encryption&quot;&gt;end-to-end encryption&lt;/a&gt;, not even we can access your emails, files, passwords, or calendar — only you can.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;But protecting your privacy goes beyond email and storage. From search engines to messaging apps, browsers to cloud storage, other European alternatives can give you the tools to take back control.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Reclaiming your privacy doesn’t mean disconnecting or going into hiding. It means &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/how-to-de-google&quot;&gt;using technology on &lt;em&gt;your&lt;/em&gt; terms&lt;/a&gt;, and yours alone. It means choosing services that respect you. And it starts with stepping outside the system that profits from watching you and into one that’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/degoogle&quot;&gt;built&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;with &lt;em&gt;you&lt;/em&gt; as the top priority&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; </content:encoded><category>Privacy guides</category><author>Edward Komenda</author></item><item><title>How to secure files for ISO 27001 compliance</title><link>https://proton.me/blog/iso-27001-secure-file-collaboration</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://proton.me/blog/iso-27001-secure-file-collaboration</guid><description>What is ISO 27001 secure file collaboration? Learn about ISO 27001 certification and how to maintain ISO 27001 compliance for your business.</description><pubDate>Tue, 25 Mar 2025 22:52:55 GMT</pubDate><content:encoded> &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/file-sharing&quot;&gt;Sharing files&lt;/a&gt; internally or externally with clients and partners is fundamental to business operations. But without the right safeguards, a single mishandled document can result in &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/breach-recommendations&quot;&gt;data breaches&lt;/a&gt;, compliance violations, and damage to your company&amp;#8217;s reputation. That’s why &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/file-sharing&quot;&gt;encrypted file sharing&lt;/a&gt; is a key aspect of ISO 27001 certification.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;There are &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.iso.org/the-iso-survey.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;over 47,000 valid ISO 27001 certificates&lt;/a&gt; worldwide — and while some organizations hold more than one certificate (for different websites or branches), this still represents tens of thousands of companies that are investing in better security practices.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Although IT remains the leading sector, ISO 27001 is rapidly expanding across industries, from finance and healthcare to nonprofits. It’s not just for large enterprises, as small businesses are increasingly adopting ISO 27001 to protect themselves from cyber threats, build trust, and win new clients.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;This guide breaks down practical steps businesses can take to secure file sharing under ISO 27001. It also explores how using an ISO 27001-aligned service like &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/business/drive&quot;&gt;Proton Drive&lt;/a&gt; can simplify compliance and protect &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/digital-data&quot;&gt;digital data&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;#What-is-ISO-27001&quot;&gt;What is ISO 27001 and why does it matter?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;#Benefits-of-ISO-27001&quot;&gt;What are the benefits of secure file sharing under this certificate?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;#How-to-protect-file-sharing-for-ISO-27001&quot;&gt;8 ways to protect file sharing and collaboration for ISO 27001&lt;/a&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;#Keep-encrypted&quot;&gt;1. Keep shared files and conversations encrypted&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;#Collaborate-securely&quot;&gt;2. Collaborate securely on shared files&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;#Monitor-access&quot;&gt;3. Control and monitor access to sensitive data&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;#Prevent-data-loss&quot;&gt;4. Prevent data loss and keep files secure&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;#Train-employees&quot;&gt;5. Train employees to avoid costly mistakes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;#Access-shared-files-securely&quot;&gt;6. Access shared files securely on any device&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;#Be-cautious-when-sharing&quot;&gt;7. Be cautious when sharing files with third parties&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;#Monitor-for-threats&quot;&gt;8. Monitor for security threats&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;#Securely-collaborate-with-Proton-Drive&quot;&gt;Securely share and collaborate on files with Proton Drive&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot; id=&quot;What-is-ISO-27001&quot;&gt;What is ISO 27001 and why does it matter?&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;ISO 27001, officially known as ISO/IEC 27001, is an international standard for information security management systems (ISMS). Think of it as a high-security rulebook designed to keep hackers out, prevent accidental leaks, and ensure your data remains safe even if something goes wrong. &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/iso-27001-certification&quot;&gt;Organizations that follow ISO/IEC 27001&lt;/a&gt; systematically identify security risks and put controls in place to reduce them.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;At its core, ISO 27001 ensures three key principles of data protection:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Confidentiality&lt;/strong&gt;: Only authorized people can access sensitive files. Example: a financial firm encrypts client records to prevent cybercriminals from stealing and selling them on the dark web.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Integrity&lt;/strong&gt;: Data remains accurate and unchanged unless modified by approved users. Example: a hospital ensures that only doctors can update patient medical records.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Availability&lt;/strong&gt;: Data is accessible when needed, without downtime or disruption. Example: a cloud service provider maintains backups to prevent data loss in case of a system failure.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot; id=&quot;Benefits-of-ISO-27001&quot;&gt;What are the benefits of secure file sharing under ISO 27001?&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Here&amp;#8217;s how ISO 27001 ensures your shared files are protected from unauthorized access, remain unchanged unless approved, and are available when needed:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Protect sensitive information&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;This includes &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/personal-data&quot;&gt;personally identifiable information (PII)&lt;/a&gt;, protected health information (PHI), financial data, customer records, intellectual property, and other confidential assets.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Reduce security risks&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Without file sharing safeguards, it&amp;#8217;s only a matter of time before a cyber attack happens, such as data leaks, &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/what-is-ransomware&quot;&gt;ransomware&lt;/a&gt;, or insider threats.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Ensure compliance&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Many regulations, like &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/business/gdpr&quot;&gt;GDPR&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/business/healthcare&quot;&gt;HIPAA&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/california-privacy-for-all-act&quot;&gt;CCPA&lt;/a&gt;, require strict security for shared data. ISO 27001 provides a clear framework to meet these rules and prove compliance to auditors.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Save costs&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;A file sharing incident, like an employee that &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.statista.com/statistics/1387393/loss-sensitive-information-organizations-cause-worldwide/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;mistakenly sends a private file&lt;/a&gt; to the wrong recipient or an attacker that intercepts unencrypted data, can lead to fines, lawsuits, and damage to the company&amp;#8217;s reputation, which is invaluable.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Build trust&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Customers and partners need assurance that their shared data won&amp;#8217;t be exposed or misused.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Maintain a competitive advantage&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Many organizations require ISO 27001 compliance before sharing sensitive data with vendors. It&amp;#8217;s also a trust signal that sets you apart from competitors lacking this certification.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Improve operational efficiency&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;With clear roles and streamlined workflows, teams can share data efficiently without bottlenecks. Plus, continuity and disaster recovery plans keep your business running, even during unexpected disruptions.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Scale with your business&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;ISO 27001 provides a structured, adaptable framework that protects the security of your business, no matter how big or complex it becomes.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot; id=&quot;How-to-protect-file-sharing-for-ISO-27001&quot;&gt;8 ways to protect file sharing and collaboration for ISO 27001&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;To strengthen file sharing security in line with ISO 27001, your organization should implement key safeguards like encryption, access management, and continuous monitoring. Here are some best practices:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot; id=&quot;Keep-encrypted&quot;&gt;1. Keep shared files and conversations encrypted&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Without encryption, the files you share can be intercepted or exposed. With &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/business/drive&quot;&gt;Proton Drive&lt;/a&gt;, you can securely share files with anyone using email or public links. Your data is protected with &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/security/end-to-end-encryption&quot;&gt;end-to-end encryption (E2EE)&lt;/a&gt;, so no one can access it besides you and the recipient — not even us. Metadata, such as file names, folder names, and thumbnails, is also fully encrypted.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Even if your files are encrypted, discussing them over unencrypted emails or chat platforms can expose sensitive details. You can use &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/business/mail&quot;&gt;Proton Mail&lt;/a&gt; to safely send attachments and have private conversations using E2EE and &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/password-protected-emails&quot;&gt;password protection&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot; id=&quot;Collaborate-securely&quot;&gt;2. Collaborate securely on shared files&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Teams, partners, and clients often need to work directly on shared files instead of constantly sending updates back and forth via email or chat. With &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/docs&quot;&gt;Proton Docs&lt;/a&gt;, you can safely collaborate in real time while ensuring that every edit, comment, and suggestion remains end-to-end encrypted. Unlike traditional cloud services, where &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/is-google-docs-secure&quot;&gt;providers can access your documents&lt;/a&gt;, Proton Docs ensures only you and your collaborators can see your content.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot; id=&quot;Monitor-access&quot;&gt;3. Control and monitor access to sensitive data&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Not everyone in your organization needs access to every file. File sharing tools with role-based access control ensure that only the right people can view or edit sensitive files. For extra protection, you should regularly review user permissions to remove unnecessary access.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Proton Drive gives you &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/drive-manage-access-shared-files&quot;&gt;control over who can access your shared files&lt;/a&gt; with viewer and editor permissions, so you decide who can make changes. You can &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/file-sharing/password-protection&quot;&gt;set passwords&lt;/a&gt; and expiration dates on shared links, track how many times files have been downloaded, and revoke access anytime to ensure your data stays protected and accessible only when needed. Plus, &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/drive-signature-management&quot;&gt;digital signatures&lt;/a&gt; help verify that shared files haven’t been tampered with.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot; id=&quot;Prevent-data-loss&quot;&gt;4. Prevent data loss and keep files secure&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Losing or accidentally exposing sensitive shared files can create security risks and compliance issues. A good way to protect against data loss is by following the &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/3-2-1-backup&quot;&gt;3-2-1 backup rule&lt;/a&gt;: keep at least three copies of your data, store them on two different types of storage, and keep one copy offsite.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;With Proton Drive, you can securely store and back up important files with end-to-end encryption, keeping them safe from unauthorized access. If a file is accidentally modified or deleted, &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/version-history&quot;&gt;file version history&lt;/a&gt; lets you restore previous versions anytime, even if the files were overwritten — you can also see who made changes.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot; id=&quot;Train-employees&quot;&gt;5. Train employees to avoid costly mistakes&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Even with the best security tools, human error is a major risk. You should provide regular training on secure file sharing, including how to &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/what-is-phishing&quot;&gt;recognize phishing attempts&lt;/a&gt;, securely collaborate with external partners, and handle confidential information. Simple steps can prevent serious security issues, like using strong passwords, enabling two-factor authentication (2FA), and avoiding suspicious links.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;To reduce phishing risks, Proton Mail includes &lt;a href=&quot;https://protonvpn.com/support/phishing/&quot;&gt;anti-phishing&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/avoid-spam&quot;&gt;anti-spam features&lt;/a&gt; that block malicious emails.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot; id=&quot;Access-shared-files-securely&quot;&gt;6. Access shared files securely on any device&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Security shouldn’t come at the cost of convenience. Whether you&amp;#8217;re in the office, working remotely, or on the go, you need a secure way to access and share files without compromising privacy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;All Proton apps, including Drive, provide &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/download&quot;&gt;easy-to-use apps&lt;/a&gt; for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and a web app, so your team can securely manage files from any device.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot; id=&quot;Be-cautious-when-sharing&quot;&gt;7. Be cautious when sharing files with third parties&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Your security is only as strong as the weakest link. Before sharing files with vendors, contractors, or partners, make sure they use secure, encrypted platforms and follow security best practices. Limit external file sharing to approved services and require security agreements to protect sensitive information.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;With Proton Drive, you stay in control by &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/password-protect-files-proton-drive&quot;&gt;sharing files through password-protected links&lt;/a&gt; with expiration dates and adjustable permissions. You can also share directly via email, encouraging recipients to create a Proton account to access and collaborate on files — keeping everything in a secure, end-to-end encrypted environment.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot; id=&quot;Monitor-for-threats&quot;&gt;8. Monitor for security threats&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Even with strong security, your team should monitor for breaches in case login credentials or sensitive files get leaked. &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/proton-sentinel&quot;&gt;Proton Sentinel&lt;/a&gt; actively monitors for suspicious login attempts, unauthorized access patterns, and potential breaches using a combination of AI and human oversight. It blocks threats before they result in an account takeover.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Additionally, if you have a suspicion of an account takeover, you can monitor the &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/account/passwords-authentication/user-sessions&quot;&gt;session manager&lt;/a&gt; in your Proton Account settings to track active logins and quickly revoke access if an unauthorized connection is detected.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot; id=&quot;Securely-collaborate-with-Proton-Drive&quot;&gt;Securely share and collaborate on files with Proton Drive&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;While companies can implement internal security measures, using an ISO 27001-aligned secure file sharing service like &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive&quot;&gt;Proton Drive&lt;/a&gt; simplifies compliance. We use end-to-end encryption and &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/switzerland&quot;&gt;Swiss protection&lt;/a&gt; to ensure that no one can access files except you and approved users.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;With &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/business&quot;&gt;Proton for Business&lt;/a&gt;, you gain access to our entire &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/business/trust&quot;&gt;end-to-end encrypted ecosystem&lt;/a&gt; designed to protect your digital data, including &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/business/drive&quot;&gt;cloud storage&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/business/mail&quot;&gt;email&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/business/pass&quot;&gt;passwords&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/business/vpn&quot;&gt;internet connections&lt;/a&gt;. All our apps are &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/iso-27001-certification&quot;&gt;ISO 27001 certified&lt;/a&gt;, independently audited, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/community/open-source&quot;&gt;open source&lt;/a&gt;, so anyone can check our &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/security&quot;&gt;security model&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; </content:encoded><category>For business</category><author>Elena Constantinescu</author></item><item><title>What your business needs to know about pretexting scams</title><link>https://proton.me/blog/what-is-pretexting</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://proton.me/blog/what-is-pretexting</guid><description>Pretexting scams can be fatal for small businesses: Find out how to protect yourself with Proton Pass for Business</description><pubDate>Tue, 25 Mar 2025 17:32:32 GMT</pubDate><content:encoded> &lt;p&gt;You&amp;#8217;ve probably heard of &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/what-is-phishing&quot;&gt;phishing&lt;/a&gt;. It&amp;#8217;s a form of &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/what-is-social-engineering&quot;&gt;social engineering&lt;/a&gt; that relies on exploiting people&amp;#8217;s natural inclination to trust others. Much like phishing, a pretexting scam is designed to fool you into thinking you need to take immediate action and share &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/sensitive-information&quot;&gt;sensitive information&lt;/a&gt; with a scammer.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;People are more likely to fall for convincing and thorough scams. Pretexting scams involve researching your business and tailoring communications to you and your employees, so they&amp;#8217;re more risky than generic phishing attempts. Verizon estimates that in the last two years, around 25% of financially motivated scams involved &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;pretexting&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In this article, we&amp;#8217;ll explore how pretexting works, how this kind of &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/cybersecurity-threats&quot;&gt;cybercrime affects businesses,&lt;/a&gt; and how to avoid falling prey to it.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;What is pretexting?&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Phishing and pretexting both rely on bypassing your network by tricking people into letting them in, instead of attempting to penetrate your business network by attacking your cybersecurity. Where phishing casts a wide net with generic communications, pretexting involves researching a specific target.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;This type of scam relies on a scammer creating a &lt;strong&gt;pretext &lt;/strong&gt;to ask you to do something for them. Usually the request will be urgent and demand immediate action. The scammer will pose as someone you know, such as a coworker or manager, or someone from a government agency or a business whose services you use. They&amp;#8217;ll ask you to quickly take action to make a payment or share information, hoping you won&amp;#8217;t check if the request is legitimate.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The urgency of the requests is designed to make recipients act quickly before they can think the action through. Some examples of pretexting scams include:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;An invoice asking you to pay a bill you don&amp;#8217;t recognize.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;An email asking you to update your personal details on your company&amp;#8217;s HR database.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;A tech support request from a worker asking to gain access to a business service.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;An email or text message that appears to be from someone at your company urgently asking for money.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;A text letting you know your package will be returned if you don&amp;#8217;t pay an import fee.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-large&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;1024&quot; height=&quot;421&quot; data-public-id=&quot;wp-pme/pretexting_scum_blog_inline_image/pretexting_scum_blog_inline_image.png&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot; decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_421,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742924022/wp-pme/pretexting_scum_blog_inline_image/pretexting_scum_blog_inline_image.png?_i=AA&quot; alt=&quot;An image showing an example of a pretexting scam, with an email claiming that the recipient&amp;#039;s parcel will be returned if a fee isn&amp;#039;t paid&quot; class=&quot;wp-post-82997 wp-image-82998&quot; data-format=&quot;png&quot; data-transformations=&quot;f_auto,q_auto&quot; data-filesize=&quot;290 KB&quot; data-optsize=&quot;39 KB&quot; data-optformat=&quot;image/webp&quot; data-percent=&quot;86.7&quot; data-permalink=&quot;https://pme.protonblog.tech/wp-admin/admin.php?page=cloudinary&amp;amp;section=edit-asset&amp;amp;asset=82998&amp;amp;lang=en&quot; data-version=&quot;1742924022&quot; data-seo=&quot;1&quot; srcset=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_421,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742924022/wp-pme/pretexting_scum_blog_inline_image/pretexting_scum_blog_inline_image.png?_i=AA 1024w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_300,h_123,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742924022/wp-pme/pretexting_scum_blog_inline_image/pretexting_scum_blog_inline_image.png?_i=AA 300w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_768,h_316,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742924022/wp-pme/pretexting_scum_blog_inline_image/pretexting_scum_blog_inline_image.png?_i=AA 768w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1742924022/wp-pme/pretexting_scum_blog_inline_image/pretexting_scum_blog_inline_image.png?_i=AA 1200w&quot; sizes=&quot;auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;How does pretexting work?&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Pretexting is particularly dangerous because it can occur in many different forms. To make a pretexting scam work, a scammer will generally take the following steps:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ol class=&quot;wp-block-list&quot;&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Create a character to impersonate. &lt;/strong&gt;They may decide to pose as an employee using &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/what-is-email-spoofing&quot;&gt;email spoofing&lt;/a&gt;, or they may impersonate a business you&amp;#8217;ve been connected to. Researching your business helps them create a believable story, and they&amp;#8217;ll try to learn as many details as possible to be convincing.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Decide on a pretext that will make their request seem natural.&lt;/strong&gt; For example, at the end of a tax year, a scammer may contact your business posing as a tax accountant looking for detailed financial information.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Once they&amp;#8217;ve researched your business and established a trustworthy cover, &lt;strong&gt;the scammer will contact you with an urgent request&lt;/strong&gt;. For example, they may ask you for sensitive business data while posing as a government agent or a coworker. They may also ask for payment for outstanding services or ask you to download software that&amp;#8217;s actually &lt;a href=&quot;https://protonvpn.com/blog/what-is-malware/&quot;&gt;malware&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;After they&amp;#8217;ve extracted information such as business logins or financial information,&lt;strong&gt; the scammer can infiltrate your network, commit identity fraud, or make financial transactions&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;What are the consequences of pretexting scams?&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;Cybercriminals use pretexting scams to gain access to sensitive data, steal money, and commit &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/identity-theft-protection&quot;&gt;identity fraud&lt;/a&gt;. If businesses fall victim to scams like this, it can be catastrophic.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Data breaches&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;If a scammer gains access to your business network, they can exploit sensitive data. This can lead to governmental fines due to non-compliance with data regulation laws. It can also lead to loss of reputation and trust, which many smaller businesses will find difficult to recover from.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Identity theft and further scams&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Once a scammer has gained personal information, they&amp;#8217;re able to impersonate your employees. This opens individuals up to having false accounts created in their names, as well as being financially affected. Scammers will keep using the stolen data to exploit as many services, systems, and people as possible.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Financial losses&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;One of the greatest threats to a business posed by pretexting scams is the potential financial losses. Between scammers infiltrating bank accounts and draining them and fines for allowing data breaches, a pretexting scam could end a small business. In 2023 alone, the FBI&amp;#8217;s Internet &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ic3.gov/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;Crime Complaint Center (IC3)&lt;/a&gt; received 21,489 business email compromise (BEC) complaints with adjusted losses &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2023_IC3Report.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noreferrer noopener&quot;&gt;over $2.9 billion&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;How to avoid pretexting scams as a business&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;The best way to prevent pretexting scams is to &lt;strong&gt;avoid rushing into action. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Always verify the source of a request.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;If you&amp;#8217;ve received an urgent request from a government agency, verify it by contacting the phone number or email address on their official website. If you&amp;#8217;ve received a request from a coworker, ask them on the phone or in person if this was them.&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;This type of scam relies on you acting quickly, so always take time to ensure that a request is legitimate. No reasonable person will push you to act if you aren&amp;#8217;t comfortable.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Beyond taking extra care to verify requests, here are actions your business can take to avoid being scammed.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Create an incident response plan&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;We&amp;#8217;ve written before about how important a &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/incident-response&quot;&gt;cybersecurity incident response plan&lt;/a&gt; is. It doesn&amp;#8217;t just help you in the aftermath of an incident, it helps you prevent one occurring in the first place. It will also help you map out all threat vectors within your business network, helping you understand where you&amp;#8217;re vulnerable and how your data could be accessed.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Employ two-factor authentication (2FA)&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/what-is-two-factor-authentication-2fa&quot;&gt;2FA&lt;/a&gt; makes it harder for unauthorized individuals to breach your business network. Encouraging employees to use not just a password but also a &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/security-keys&quot;&gt;physical security &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/security-keys&quot;&gt;key&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/what-is-a-passkey&quot;&gt;passkey&lt;/a&gt; creates an extra layer of protection against cybercriminals. Educating employees about online safety and empowering them with the right tools is one of the most critical parts of the battle against pretexting scams.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Store business data safely with Proton Pass for Business&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Passwords and email addresses are sensitive data that require robust protection. &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/business/pass&quot;&gt;Proton Pass for Business&lt;/a&gt; is a &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/pass&quot;&gt;password manager&lt;/a&gt; that&amp;#8217;s an ideal, easy-to-use tool when it comes to cybersecurity. It helps employees work more efficiently and more securely. Using a dedicated business password manager makes it easy to &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/pass-business-policies&quot;&gt;set up team policies to prevent data sharing&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/support/pass-business-activity-logs&quot;&gt;monitor activity logs for unusual login attempts&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/blog/dark-web-monitoring&quot;&gt;monitor the dark web&lt;/a&gt; for any sensitive information. Creating strong cybersecurity measures and ensuring your employees are using secure tools is your best defense against pretexting scams and social engineering.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;text-center&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;btn inline-block rounded-full font-bold btn-small bg-purple-500 text-white hover:text-white focus:text-white&quot; href=&quot;https://proton.me/business/contact&quot;&gt;Contact our business sales team&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; </content:encoded><category>For business</category><author>Kate Menzies</author></item><item><title>Proton Drive and Docs now support collaboration with users without Proton accounts</title><link>https://proton.me/blog/improve-productivity-collaboration-proton-drive</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://proton.me/blog/improve-productivity-collaboration-proton-drive</guid><description>Discover the latest Proton Drive updates designed to help you collaborate and enhance your workflow without compromising security.</description><pubDate>Tue, 25 Mar 2025 10:14:23 GMT</pubDate><content:encoded> &lt;p&gt;Whether you’re a lawyer building a case with a client or a researcher working on a report with your team, finding solutions that balance collaboration with security is essential for success.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive&quot;&gt;Proton Drive&lt;/a&gt;’s latest updates offer new ways to empower your work without compromising your data or productivity. You can now: Collaborate on files, folders, and documents with anyone — even if they don’t have a Proton Account and receive email notifications so you never miss an update in Docs in Proton Drive.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Here’s a closer look at these new additions.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Invite people without a Proton account to work on files, folders, and documents&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-large&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;1024&quot; height=&quot;512&quot; data-public-id=&quot;wp-pme/b2b_releases_inline_blog022x-2/b2b_releases_inline_blog022x-2.png&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot; decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742894364/wp-pme/b2b_releases_inline_blog022x-2/b2b_releases_inline_blog022x-2.png?_i=AA&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;wp-post-82769 wp-image-82981&quot; data-format=&quot;png&quot; data-transformations=&quot;f_auto,q_auto&quot; data-filesize=&quot;1 MB&quot; data-optsize=&quot;106 KB&quot; data-optformat=&quot;image/webp&quot; data-percent=&quot;91&quot; data-permalink=&quot;https://pme.protonblog.tech/wp-admin/admin.php?page=cloudinary&amp;amp;section=edit-asset&amp;amp;asset=82981&amp;amp;lang=en&quot; data-version=&quot;1742894364&quot; data-seo=&quot;1&quot; srcset=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742894364/wp-pme/b2b_releases_inline_blog022x-2/b2b_releases_inline_blog022x-2.png?_i=AA 1024w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_300,h_150,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742894364/wp-pme/b2b_releases_inline_blog022x-2/b2b_releases_inline_blog022x-2.png?_i=AA 300w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_768,h_384,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742894364/wp-pme/b2b_releases_inline_blog022x-2/b2b_releases_inline_blog022x-2.png?_i=AA 768w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1536,h_768,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742894364/wp-pme/b2b_releases_inline_blog022x-2/b2b_releases_inline_blog022x-2.png?_i=AA 1536w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_2048,h_1024,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742894364/wp-pme/b2b_releases_inline_blog022x-2/b2b_releases_inline_blog022x-2.png?_i=AA 2048w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1568,h_784,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742894364/wp-pme/b2b_releases_inline_blog022x-2/b2b_releases_inline_blog022x-2.png?_i=AA 1568w&quot; sizes=&quot;auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt; &lt;p&gt;If you&amp;#8217;ve ever felt worried about exchanging confidential files over email or been frustrated by the endless cycle of sending the same document back and forth to gather edits, the new &lt;strong&gt;Editor access&lt;/strong&gt; option for public sharing links&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;is here to change the way you collaborate. Now, you can invite anyone to contribute to encrypted documents, files, and folders — even if they don’t have a Proton Account, while still preserving end-to-end encryption.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Collect files from anyone with collaborative folders&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Whether you’re gathering important documents from clients or exchanging confidential briefs and deliverables with freelancers, you can do it all with the peace of mind that every file remains private and protected. You can create a folder and generate a sharing link with editor access to allow others to upload their files directly. Share and receive sensitive files or folders without requiring collaborators to sign up to Proton Drive — making collaboration seamless and hassle-free.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Co-create documents and gather feedback&lt;/h3&gt; &lt;p&gt;Stay productive and remove the friction of working with a distributed team. Generate a sharing link with editor access for documents created with &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/docs&quot;&gt;Docs in Proton Drive&lt;/a&gt; to collect contract amendments from external partners, ask new clients to complete forms, or invite collaborators to contribute to meeting notes, product briefs, or reports. Work with others in real time, track their changes, and make suggestions — all within a secure, encrypted environment.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;To create a public sharing link for a file or folder stored in Proton Drive — or a document created with &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/docs&quot;&gt;Docs&lt;/a&gt; — locate the item, click &lt;strong&gt;Share&lt;/strong&gt;, and toggle on &lt;strong&gt;Create public link&lt;/strong&gt;. Then, choose whether those with the link should have &lt;strong&gt;Editor&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;Viewer&lt;/strong&gt; access.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;text-center&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;btn inline-block rounded-full font-bold btn-small btn-solid-purple&quot; href=&quot;https://proton.me/business/drive&quot;&gt;Get Proton Drive for Business&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Stay in sync with email notifications and on-the-go editing in Docs in Proton Drive&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;figure class=&quot;wp-block-image size-large&quot;&gt;&lt;img width=&quot;1024&quot; height=&quot;512&quot; data-public-id=&quot;wp-pme/b2b_releases_inline02_v3_blog2x/b2b_releases_inline02_v3_blog2x.png&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot; decoding=&quot;async&quot; src=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742367402/wp-pme/b2b_releases_inline02_v3_blog2x/b2b_releases_inline02_v3_blog2x.png?_i=AA&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;wp-post-82769 wp-image-82782&quot; data-format=&quot;png&quot; data-transformations=&quot;f_auto,q_auto&quot; data-filesize=&quot;1 MB&quot; data-optsize=&quot;147 KB&quot; data-optformat=&quot;image/webp&quot; data-percent=&quot;89.1&quot; data-permalink=&quot;https://pme.protonblog.tech/wp-admin/admin.php?page=cloudinary&amp;amp;section=edit-asset&amp;amp;asset=82782&amp;amp;lang=en&quot; data-version=&quot;1742367402&quot; data-seo=&quot;1&quot; srcset=&quot;https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1024,h_512,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742367402/wp-pme/b2b_releases_inline02_v3_blog2x/b2b_releases_inline02_v3_blog2x.png?_i=AA 1024w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_300,h_150,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742367402/wp-pme/b2b_releases_inline02_v3_blog2x/b2b_releases_inline02_v3_blog2x.png?_i=AA 300w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_768,h_384,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742367402/wp-pme/b2b_releases_inline02_v3_blog2x/b2b_releases_inline02_v3_blog2x.png?_i=AA 768w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1536,h_768,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742367402/wp-pme/b2b_releases_inline02_v3_blog2x/b2b_releases_inline02_v3_blog2x.png?_i=AA 1536w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_2048,h_1024,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742367402/wp-pme/b2b_releases_inline02_v3_blog2x/b2b_releases_inline02_v3_blog2x.png?_i=AA 2048w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dbulfrlrz/images/w_1568,h_784,c_scale/f_auto,q_auto/v1742367402/wp-pme/b2b_releases_inline02_v3_blog2x/b2b_releases_inline02_v3_blog2x.png?_i=AA 1568w&quot; sizes=&quot;auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt; &lt;p&gt;With recent updates to &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/docs&quot;&gt;Docs in Proton Drive&lt;/a&gt;, you’ll now receive email notifications whenever someone adds comments or suggests edits to your document. Ideal for team projects or client collaborations, this new feature helps you stay on top of feedback and never miss a crucial detail.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;And with &lt;strong&gt;Docs now available in Proton Drive’s mobile app for iOS and Android&lt;/strong&gt;, you can easily respond to comments and make edits no matter where you are — experience smoother collaboration and more efficient workflows, whether you’re in the office or on the move.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;text-center&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;btn inline-block rounded-full font-bold btn-small btn-solid-purple&quot; href=&quot;https://docs.proton.me&quot;&gt;Try Docs in Proton Drive&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;h2 class=&quot;wp-block-heading&quot;&gt;Sync and safeguard your work with Proton Drive for Business&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p&gt;The above features are available for all Proton Drive users, but if you are using Proton Drive professionally, our &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/business/drive#pricing&quot;&gt;Business plans&lt;/a&gt; offer the convenience of seamless collaboration paired with peace of mind for fine-grained user management. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Built on a foundation of &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/security/end-to-end-encryption&quot;&gt;end-to-end encryption&lt;/a&gt;, Proton’s suite of services keeps your organization’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/business/drive&quot;&gt;files&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/drive/docs&quot;&gt;documents&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/business/mail&quot;&gt;emails&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/calendar&quot;&gt;calendars&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://proton.me/business/vpn&quot;&gt;internet activity&lt;/a&gt; private by default. This means that only you and the people you choose can see your organization’s activity — not even Proton can gain access.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Proton is based in Switzerland, home to some of the world’s strictest privacy laws, adding a layer of security most other services can’t provide. With Proton, you’re not just streamlining your workflow, you’re ensuring your personal and professional information is handled with the privacy and security it deserves.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div class=&quot;text-center&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;btn inline-block rounded-full font-bold btn-small btn-solid-purple&quot; href=&quot;https://proton.me/business/drive&quot;&gt;Get Proton Drive for Business&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt; </content:encoded><category>For business</category><category>Product updates</category><category>Proton Drive</category><author>Anant Vijay</author></item></channel></rss>