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Proton Drive

Some concerns
Proton AG · 🇨🇭 Switzerland
PolicyApp PermissionsNetwork TrafficFirmwareRegulatory
Technical details
App: me.proton.android.drive
Manufacturer: Proton AG

The bottom line

Switzerland might pass a law requiring Proton to backdoor its encryption. They're already moving servers out of the country. Most private cloud storage but 1GB free (Google gives 15), slower, fewer features. Privacy costs convenience.

Legal jurisdiction
🇨🇭 Switzerland (headquarters)
✓nDSG (FADP) read more →
Strong privacy law but cooperates with US requests. Banking secrecy eroded since 2014 US pressure
🇩🇪 Germany (data storage)
✓GDPR (BfDI + 16 state DPAs) read more →
You can demand deletion, access, and portability. Germany has 17 enforcement bodies — strictest consent rules in EU
Spying
0/4 N/A
Is someone spying on me?
Data Sharing
0/4 N/A
Who gets my data?
Security
2/4 MODERATE
Is it actually secure?
Honesty
1/4 LOW
Can I trust what they say?
ACCEPTABLE Moderate concerns. Standard privacy hygiene applies.
3Contradictions
0Critical
0High
2Medium
4Sources
Findings by concern
Security 2/4 MODERATE 2 findings
⚫ mediumregulatory findings vs firmware analysis
Switzerland might pass a law requiring Proton to backdoor its encryption. They're already moving servers out of the country.

What they claim: Swiss jurisdiction provides permanent privacy protection.

What we found: VUPF: IP logging 6 months, identity verification, decrypt own encryption. CEO: 'worse than Russia.' Moving 100M+ EUR to EU. Could require redesigning Drive's encryption model.

✔️ lowpolicy claims vs regulatory findings
Proton hands over email data 94% of the time but your Drive files are safe -- they can't read them. The risk is account metadata, not files.

What they claim: Proton's compliance record doesn't affect Drive.

What we found: Mail: 94% compliance. But Drive: zero-knowledge means even court orders yield encrypted blobs. Account metadata (creation, payment) still accessible.

Honesty 1/4 LOW 1 finding
⚫ mediumpolicy claims vs firmware analysis
Most private cloud storage but 1GB free (Google gives 15), slower, fewer features. Privacy costs convenience.

What they claim: Proton Drive is a full replacement for Google Drive/Dropbox.

What we found: 1GB free (vs 15GB Google). Fewer features, slower, fewer integrations. Real-time collaboration only since 2024. Privacy benchmark has genuine usability trade-offs.

What happened to real people
Documented incidents involving Proton AG products and user data.
Swiss authorities requested data 6,378 times in 2024 (up from 13 in 2017). Proton complied with 93% but E2EE architecture means only metadata (IP, account info) is available — email content, passwords, and files are encrypted with user keys Proton cannot access. [source]
What your data is worth to governments
Proton complied with 6,378 government data requests in 2024. That's From 13 requests (2017) to 6,378 (2024). Jurisdiction: CH (Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP). Not subject to EU/US data sharing agreements.).
Documented: Swiss authorities requested data 6,378 times in 2024 (up from 13 in 2017). Proton complied with 93% but E2EE architecture means only metadata (IP, account info) is available — email content, passwords, and files are encrypted with user keys Proton cannot access.
Transparency report
Sources