Security in the Age of Digital Espionage: How to Protect Yourself with Proton Mail

Proton Mail is an encrypted email service that offers enhanced privacy and security in message exchange. Based in Switzerland, the company has developed a system that prioritizes user data protection and the preservation of personal information.

This is particularly relevant in today's world, where digital espionage has reached new heights and databases of major companies are being compromised on a daily basis. Information leaks can be costly not only for businesses but also for individuals. Let's take a closer look at what Proton Mail is, its features, functionality, and advantages.

Features of Proton Mail

The service offers a range of features that make it popular among users who value confidentiality and security. Proton Mail has the following features:

1. End-to-end encryption. Messages are encrypted on the sender's side and only decrypted by the recipient.

2. Zero-Access Encryption. Data is stored in encrypted form, with even employees unable to access user information.

3. End-to-End Encryption (E2EE). Content is encrypted in a way that even the provider cannot read the messages.

4. Self-destructing timer. Proton Mail has an option to automatically delete messages after a set period of time.

5. Protection against phishing and spam. Numerous built-in mechanisms and constantly evolving technologies are in place.

6. PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) support. The ability to exchange encrypted messages with PGP users.

All encrypted messages and files are stored on the user's side, reducing the risk of data leaks.

Signing Up for Proton Mail

So, you want to create your own account and take advantage of all the service's benefits? From this point onwards, you will encounter a few difficulties. These problems can be easily solved, and we will discuss them in more detail.

Since the service has not complied with the Russian law on the "localization of IT companies," it is on the list of blocked websites. You will need to use a VPN service to obtain a foreign IP address. Our website has a special article on choosing the best VPN (which is relevant not only for Instagram).

How to register on ProtonMail – step-by-step instructions

Activate the VPN and access the homepage. Here, we need to click on the "Get Free Account" or "Create Free Account" button.

1. We will be directed to a window where we need to select the option "Get Proton for free".

2. We will land on the new account creation page. We need to enter the desired email address in English and set a password.

3. To confirm, we may need to complete a captcha or verify through email.

4. The system will notify us of a successful verification.

5. Now, we just need to enter the desired display name, and we can start using all the features of the email service.

Entering Proton Mail - linking a mobile phone

At the final stage of registration, the service will offer to save contact information. You can create a Proton Mail account with a linked phone number or email. This is an optional feature, but it is worth noting the high level of security. The absence of a mobile number raises unnecessary security concerns.

Don't want to use your own phone? This is a logical choice, as not everyone wants to disclose their personal information. Another consideration is the possibility of blocking Russian users. This possibility is extremely rare, but cannot be ruled out in the current conditions. Here, the option to purchase a virtual number through the "Tiger SMS" service comes to the rescue. The task can be completed in a few clicks, and the cost is several tens of cents.

Proton Mail Pro Premium - is it worth purchasing the paid features

We open the service to take advantage of its features. Before us is a standard window with the main options.

In this regard, the mail does not differ from numerous analogues. There is the option to enable Premium services. Let's take a closer look at what options will be offered to users and in which cases they should be enabled.

Let's familiarize ourselves with the available pricing plans.

As we can see, the free features fully meet the needs of regular users. As for messages, the limit only applies to outgoing ones. The number of incoming emails per day is unlimited.

Advantages of a paid ProtonMail account:

• additional storage space;

• availability of custom domains;

• extended message lifespan;

• additional filtering;

• support for PGP technology;

• advanced built-in VPN capabilities;

• priority response from customer support.

Speaking of security levels, Proton Mail offers the same high level of protection for all types of subscriptions.