Swiss authorities intervene, Proton Mail not blocked in India

In February, several schools in Chennai receive hoax bomb threats sent over encrypted email platform Proton Mail

It took the intervention of Swiss authorities to prevent the blocking of end-to-end encrypted email platform Proton Mail in India after the government sought action against the platform, which was being abused by bad actors to send hoax bomb threats.

In February, a senior Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Wing police officer requested the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to block Proton Mail. An order was also sent to the platform.

This was after several schools in Chennai received hoax bomb threats on February 8. A police investigation found that the mails were sent through Proton Mail.

Even though the police sought information about the users who sent such emails, the cops faced a roadblock as the platform is encrypted end-to-end, which means users’ emails, files, calendar entries, and passwords had strong privacy protections.

In a blog post in March, Proton Mail said, "In response to hoax bomb threats that were sent through Proton Mail, some members of the Indian government suggested taking the extreme measure of blocking Proton..."

"The issue has been raised to the attention of the Swiss federal authorities, who have been in contact with the relevant Indian authorities to prevent the blocking of Proton Mail in India. Thanks to this assistance, Proton Mail apps and other Proton products are available in India," the post said.

Moneycontrol has reached out to Proton with further queries and the article will be updated when a respond comes in.

In the blog, the encrypted email service provider also explained why it did not comply with information requested by Indian law enforcement authorities.

Under Swiss law, Proton is not allowed to transmit any data foreign authorities and had to reject requests "that are directly addressed to us".

"However, Proton is legally obligated to respond to orders from Swiss authorities, who do not tolerate illegal activities conducted through Switzerland and may assist foreign authorities in cases of illegal activity, provided they are valid under international assistance procedures and determined to be in compliance with Swiss law," the blog said.

The company added, "Blocking access to Proton Mail simply prevents law-abiding citizens from communicating securely and does not prevent cybercriminals from sending threats with another email service, especially if the perpetrators are located outside of India."

This is not the first time that the Switzerland-headquartered company has courted controversy, especially for being abused by threat actors.

In 2020, the Russian government blocked the encrypted email provider after emails claimed that bombs were planted in public places.

Russia's Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (abbreviated Roskomnadzor) said the bogus emails were responsible for “creating a real threat of mass disturbance of public order and causing great concern among citizens and public outcry”.