Government to block ProtonMail after bomb threat: Company responds to India | - Times of India
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The Indian government has decided to block ProtonMail, an end-to-end encrypted email service, after a bomb threat was sent to private schools in Chennai. ProtonMail is working to resolve the situation and cooperate with Indian authorities. However, the company cannot directly answer to foreign law enforcement authorities.

The IT ministry has reportedly decided to issue an order blocking end-to-end encrypted email service ProtonMail. According to a report in Hindustan Times, the government is planning to block the email service at the request of the Tamil Nadu police over a hoax bomb threat sent to at least thirteen private schools in Chennai on February 8. The report says that the decision to block ProtonMail was taken at a meeting of the 69A blocking committee on Wednesday (February 14).

A Proton spokesperson told the publication that the company has received the request from MeitY “a few days ago”. “We are currently working to resolve this situation and are investigating how we can best work together with the Indian authorities to do so. We understand the urgency of the situation and are completely clear that our services are not to be used for illegal purposes. We routinely remove users who are found to be doing so and are willing to cooperate wherever possible within international cooperation agreements,” the spokesperson said.

  • @akash_rawalEnglish
    4•9 months ago

    I don’t know either, but from what I know, bureaucracy and corruption is often a result of bad organizational structure. Some “designated officer” raises a finger which gets approved by the Secretary who is appointed by the minister who is appointed by the PM who is nominated by the Lok Sabha, and we lose yet another privacy protecting service. I think we should have more direct control in these matters.

    For now, if we cannot expect a proper functioning web, they cannot expect stability under their seats. Vote them out.

    • StewbsOPEnglish
      2•9 months ago

      Indeed and as the reply above you mentioned, whom do we vote? If there is a truly good party here, It’s either too unknown or too small so I suppose we can just hope for the best

      • @[email protected]English
        2•9 months ago

        I’d vote for a purely retaliatory reason. So they know that the support they have isn’t as ironclad as they’d assume. But I also have bailed from there so… ¯_(ツ)_/¯

        • StewbsOPEnglish
          1•9 months ago

          While it’s true that voting for a purely retaliatory reason would be good but wouldn’t you want your vote to have some amount of change? I’m not discrediting the integrity of the smaller parties but it really won’t make much of a difference to vote for them even if it is towards a good cause simply because their size is too small to compete with the giants or even in state elections. Andhbhakts are everywhere unfortunately.