In 2014, ProtonMail became the world’s first email service to protect data with end-to-end encryption, and today is the world’s most popular secure email service with millions of users worldwide. ProtonMail’s technology is often misunderstood by tech writers (and sometimes incorrectly represented in the press), so this article aims to provide a clear description of how ProtonMail’s technology is different from Gmail, and what makes ProtonMail more secure.
Only you can read your emails:
ProtonMail’s encryption means that nobody but you can read the messages in your mailbox. In fact, not even ProtonMail has the ability to read your messages. We believe that your private communications should be exactly that: private. On the other hand, Gmail can and does read every single one of your emails. If you are not comfortable giving Google unlimited access to all of your intimate communications, then ProtonMail’s approach to data privacy provides more security.
Improved security in the event of a data breach:
ProtonMail uses Zero Knowledge Encryption, which means it is technically impossible for us to decrypt user messages. Zero Knowledge Encryption applies to all messages in your mailbox, even messages which did not come from other ProtonMail users.
This provides stronger security compared to Gmail because even if ProtonMail were somehow breached, user messages remain secure because ProtonMail only stores encrypted messages. In other words, if an attacker steals emails from ProtonMail, the attacker would not have the ability to decrypt them, as even ProtonMail cannot decrypt them. The use of Zero Knowledge Encryption therefore adds a strong layer of resiliency against catastrophic data breaches.
No tracking and logging:
This provides stronger security compared to Gmail because even if ProtonMail were somehow breached, user messages remain secure because ProtonMail only stores encrypted messages. In other words, if an attacker steals emails from ProtonMail, the attacker would not have the ability to decrypt them, as even ProtonMail cannot decrypt them. The use of Zero Knowledge Encryption therefore adds a strong layer of resiliency against catastrophic data breaches.