Switzerland’s current surveillance law instructs mobile networks and internet service providers (ISPs) to collect and store user data. The proposed change would extend this to VPNs, messaging apps, and social media companies.
Yen described it as a “major violation of the right to privacy” – something that directly contradicts Proton’s “privacy by default” tagline.
“This revision attempts to implement something that has been deemed illegal in the EU and the United States,” Yen claimed. “The only country in Europe with a roughly equivalent law is Russia.”
“The law would become almost identical to the one in force today in Russia. It’s an untenable situation. We would be less confidential as a company in Switzerland than Google, based in the United States. So it’s impossible for our business model.”
I think people read the headline and think he said they could operate in Russia when he clearly says they do not. Unfortunately he doesn’t say which countries he would even consider moving the business to.
Probably because they have no idea where they’d move at this stage. Every year an encryption backdoor is proposed in the EU. The EU is not far behind the US when it comes to mass surveillance and the destruction of privacy.
Do I need to quote the article for people?
His response seems accurate and reasonable.
Thanks for the sanity. I’d also add this quote:
I think people read the headline and think he said they could operate in Russia when he clearly says they do not. Unfortunately he doesn’t say which countries he would even consider moving the business to.
Probably because they have no idea where they’d move at this stage. Every year an encryption backdoor is proposed in the EU. The EU is not far behind the US when it comes to mass surveillance and the destruction of privacy.
And the rest of the comments didn’t even bother to read more than the headline (as usual 😑).