How safe are the e-mails you send to colleagues and friends?
Their approach to encryptioneven prevents ProtonMail itself from reading what it sends and storesfor you.
There may not be an actual human being spying on you when you use a familiar e-mail client.
Aside from this, there’s a realdanger of more malicious spying.
The setup of ordinary mail clients createsvulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers and government agencies.
Messages sent with those clients arerarely encrypted.
And even when they are, it is typically just while they’re being sent.
ProtonMail was designed to provide an alternativeto this model.
Read on to understand ProtonMail worksand tofind out whether you should use it.
How Does ProtonMail Work?
The main selling point for this e-mail client isend-to-end encryption.
The only way to make that readable again iswith the correct encryption key.
And only the devicesbelonging to the sender and the intended recipienthave that key.
But ProtonMailcan also be used to communicate securely with users of other e-mail clients.
All you have to do isset a passwordfor your encryption key and give it to the intended recipient.
Then, they only need to put in the password to open your message through their normal inbox.
Until they are decrypted in this way, the messages are not readable.
If this doesn’t seem like enough security,you’re free to set ProtonMail messages to self-destruct.
Afterward, it can no longer be accessed from either the sender’s or the recipient’s machine.
Thiseliminates any dangerof the content falling into the wrong hands.
But that danger is already negligiblesince ProtonMailmessages remain encrypted for as long as they are storedon ProtonMail’s servers.
Those servers also boast excellentphysical security.
As well as being physically protected and digitally encrypted, users' data is alsolegally protected.
This puts itbeyond the legal reach of both the United States and the European Union.
Why Should I Use ProtonMail?
There are a lot of reasons why you might want your e-mail messages to be thoroughly encrypted.
And not all of them involve having something to hide.
It’s sensible to be worriedabout intrusions into your private life.
Maybe you’re worriedabout governments collecting dataon their citizens.
Maybe you don’t wantgiant internet companiesto develop increasinglydetailed advertising profilesfor you.
These concerns might encourage some e-mail users toapply encryption to everythingthey send and receive.
Is it Worth Paying for ProtonMail?
With so many free e-mail clients available, it might seem strange to pay for such a service.
This is especially true when you realize that the ProtonMailinterface is not exactly betterthan the other alternatives.
This probably doesn’t seem so strange.
As mentioned above, traditional e-mail clients are all ad-supported.
They rely on harvesting your data and using it against you.
ProtonMail isone of the only companies offering an alternative, and it is arguably the best.
That is something that’s worth supporting.
You’re also helping the company to grow and improve the quality of its secure e-mail client.
This pattern is sure to continue.
There arestill some wrinkles to iron out.
Thesearch feature is limited, and thespam filter is imperfect.
There is arich text editorfor HTML and images, butno option to save templatesor add recommended text and addresses.
ProtonMail gives you back the powerto control your own written communications online.
That’s probably worth a few dollars a month.
The best way to ensure that your data stays private is topair ProtonMail with a trustworthy VPN.
ExpressVPNis a premium VPN committed to user security.
ExpressVPN usesmilitary-grade encryptionto keep your whole connection safe, not just your emails.
VPNs prevent this by funneling user data through a secure channel.
Your messages won’t touch public servers.
Instead, all of your internetactivity will be routed through ExpressVPN’s private servers.
To keep your data from leaking, it also usesDNS leak protectiontechnology.
Its other privacy measures include a verystrict, no-logs policyandan automatic kill-switch.
Withover 3000 serversExpressVPNis the best all-around option when it comes to privacy and security.
Further Reading
Seeour review for Proton VPNfor more information on the company behind ProtonMail.
Read our guide tolearn more about encryption.
What does Google really know about you?
Your data is exposed to the websites you visit!
Visit ExpressVPN
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