this post was submitted on 12 Nov 2024
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Privacy
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Too bad private email access is essentially dead. Any service not requiring another email or phone number to sign up gets quickly shut down. A casualty in the war on whistleblowers.
email is never private, if its that sensitive it just shouldn't go on the internet
Exactly; email is digital post cards and always has been.
Of course, that means I can encrypt a message and use someone else’s email account to send it :)
You can sign up for Proton mail without providing email or phone number, as far as I recall.
Nope. Try doing it through a Tor node.
I did that recently while using Tails, and it let me register without either an email or phone number. This is misinformation.
I don’t know what to tell you. Tried it yesterday, and it required an email to verify.
tor isn't email or phone
No shit, Sherlock.
you still can, it was a bug in past that they fixed long ago
it's not a bug and it's still not possible, it's for tracking who created the account of course.
It is possible, I just signed up for one recently while using Tails. I was not required to use either email or phone number. Stop spreading misinformation.
Doesn't work for me: https://0x0.st/Xkw4.png
Maybe it only works for some people.
They said any service gets shut down. I registered a ProtonMail account without email or phone number. Proton also does not cooperate with anyone but Swiss authorities. It is obviously still possible.
You can also register without one on cock.li, if you don’t mind them being edgy middle-aged teenagers.
All services do eventually shut down, possibly moreso for higher privacy services, you might just disagree on when.
That is your argument? “Time destroys all things”? Really?
Yeah, when you think about it, one day the sun will explode and all these email services that don’t require backup emails will shut down. You got me there, champ.
Try it now. Load up a tor tab in the Brave browser, and try signing up for an email without providing any info.
yes I just did, not brave but tor browser and I was able to create account
I just loaded up a Linux vm with Brave, and tried to sign up in a tor window. It requires a verification email to sign up.
Maybe you’re using a browser or OS that it’s tracking.
It does not, this is misinformation. Do not believe this person, I recently did it on Tails while using Tor and did not need email or phone number.
I just tried it yesterday. Definitely required an email for verification.
I just tried it on my phone literally thirty seconds ago, after reading your comment, without using Tor or a VPN. Verification was done with a captcha. No email required.
You know what would be a really easy way to confirm if Proton is sometimes requiring email verification? Just look on their own website, where they openly say they do it.
The question isn’t whether they’re doing this. It’s whether they’re actually doing it to “prevent spambots,” or if they’re employing it when they need more info to track who’s signing up.
OK, let's check then.
Source
I've signed up on Tor and the clearnet, and both times without providing an email address or phone number. Meaning if you keep running into that problem, it's a sign that something you're doing or have done is causing them to think you aren't somebody that should be signing up without verification. Either way, the fact remains that most people aren't having this issue.
Given the context, I would be most concerned that they’re not asking for verification when they have some way you’re already being tracked.
yeah I'm using tor browser, also don't forget you can get fingerprinted even on tor
Totally. You should assume yours is being tracked if they’re not asking for verification.
fingerprinting is not tracking, personally im fine with them fingerprinting they just don't want to give unlimited free stuff for anyone
Then you’re supporting diminished privacy.
that is what you would say if you dont understand how fingerprinting works and how to actually be private
Proton requires email?
Not in my experience
Yes, tho it days it dosent store it, ill leave it up to you what you do whit that.
They do not, I didn’t need either when I signed up recently.
They do store it and have provided it to authorities in the past. In their defense, modern laws require you to hand over any data you have or get shut down. But they already knew that, yet choose to ask for it anyways knowing that they have to give it away if asked to.
They provided it to Swiss authorities, with a notice that it happened to their customers. They do not have any requirement to share it with other governments.
i guess corpos gonna corpo folks... even the "good" ones
i did not realize you needed anything to create rando emails. i know google started that shit 5 years ago tho
I don't think you are required to provide a secondary email, but you get less features without it.
i see... that is a dark pattern in of itself, why does proton need this info and why are they willing to incentiveze users sharing it.
How is offering users the option to set a backup/recovery email a dark pattern?
i misspoke
As far as I understand it, this is only recovery emails and I think it explicitly has some sort of warning about this when setting it. This is different than the email prompt on sign up.
I wouldn't trust them not to store the initial one as well tbh. Nothing technically stops that and it's in their interests.
They don’t ask for one on signup. I just signed up recently while using Tor on Tails, and was not required to provide an email for any reason. The only thing that happens is you get a warning in the account panel saying you won’t be able to recover your account if you lose the recovery codes.
I didn’t even know it asked for an email for sign up. I just remember the recovery email.
You don’t have to have one, this is misinformation.