ProtonMail mailbox blocked in Russia

ProtonMail, a world-renowned end-to-end encrypted mail service, aims to provide users with a more private mailbox environment. Enabling end-to-end encryption means that an encrypted message cannot be decrypted or its information read unless the sender or recipient’s password is obtained. At the same time, its developers also protect users’ private information. This information is considered as the user’s privacy and therefore will not be provided to anyone.

A few days ago, Russia’s digital regulator, Roskomnadzor announced that ProtonMail and ProtonVPN and other related services have been completely blocked in the country to prevent users from continuing to access.

The reason for the blocking was that a malicious user used the email service to send a fake bomb threat, and its developer refused to reveal the true identity of the user who sent the email.

What is confusing is that the Russian regulator said that it had kindly contacted the developer to explain the incident, but the developer still directly rejected the regulator’s request.

To this end, the Russian regulatory agency determined that the email and related services were not compliant with the laws, so it sent its related domain name to a blacklist of telecommunications agencies to perform a denial of access.

However, the developers said they were completely unaware that they were blocked because they did not receive a request from Russian regulators to help verify their identity.

As for when Russian users will be able to resume using the ProtonMai mail service, it is still unknown, and it seems that they can only be restored after the two sides reach an agreement.

Via: NEOWIN