If you’re still using Proton mail:
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First, I don't have to ask Proton anything. I'm not a customer, and I have shared factual info on here because I thought people who are customers should know. And the facts remain: Vincent Lapierre is a fascist YouTuber, his latest video features a full-on Proton Mail sponsorship segment, with the sponsorship label overlayed in the top left corner as required by law ("collaboration commerciale"), and with a paragraph in the video description featuring a custom Proton link to his name. If this is not an actual sponsorship, then Lapierre will surely have gone a long way to make it seem like one.
Second, the link works for me. I'm wondering whether it's only active if you're visiting from a French IP or something. In any case, stop insinuating I'm a liar just because that link isn't working for you.
@nileane @gotofritz @slothrop sorry, I didn't watch the video and didn't realise there was a whole segment. I was expecting the link to show a discount rather than redirect to a generic page but looks like I am mistaken on that too. Thanks for clarifying, looking forward to proton responding to this
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@kleisli @slothrop kid was born. For a few years it was too exhausting to try to cope with life _and_ try to keep all computery things running. Gave up on Gentoo, own domain, Linux phone and homelab server. Just used the "easy" solutions. Now kid is old enough I've been cranking up the difficulty level again. Although not Gentoo, but Arch.
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@yaxu @nileane @gotofritz @slothrop
also, tclarify, did you find a link to thos video in any of the Proton products?
I'm asking mostly becuase just yesterday a friend was talking me about Proton, and it sounded good emough to jump over.
@mdione I see that you are a tech person.
Proton is regulary doing odd things, like the ways they do PGP encryption. Non standard.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40282187
Also, they will send informations about you if "the police" ask them. Maybe emails if in clear text.
The main Proton Mail alternative is Tuta (https://tutamail.com I think). I don't use them but if a friend recommand easy and safe email provider, it's my recommandation.
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RE: https://nileane.fr/@nileane/116704285750838861
If you’re still using Proton mail:
The company is sponsoring the videos of French far-right / fascist YouTuber Vincent Lapierre.
If encryption is part of your vision for a better society, find a better service provider.
UPDATE 2026-06-08: Response from Proton. This comes after mods apparently deleted lots of critical posts in r/ProtonMail.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/1u05xs2/comment/oqgihvq/
@slothrop ok, but name a service provider that is not going to do the same thing in a couple of years, because I'm really fucking tired of changing due to enshittification of All The Things.
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@gotofritz @slothrop If that's the case, that's up to Proton to clarify. Because right now it's presented as a sponsor: the video has a sponsor segment, and Lapierre even thanks Proton for sponsoring him.
If he's lying, then Proton should state that he lied.
+ him "just using an affiliate link" would still mean that Proton is okay with a fascist influencer bringing them money and customers.@nileane @gotofritz @slothrop my understanding of the way many of these sponsor programs work is the company goes to an agency, and then the agency like subcontracts out to a bunch of different organizations, which then go and contact different youtubers
I don't know if proton is doing this, however this is my understanding of how many youtube sponsorships work
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RE: https://nileane.fr/@nileane/116704285750838861
If you’re still using Proton mail:
The company is sponsoring the videos of French far-right / fascist YouTuber Vincent Lapierre.
If encryption is part of your vision for a better society, find a better service provider.
UPDATE 2026-06-08: Response from Proton. This comes after mods apparently deleted lots of critical posts in r/ProtonMail.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/1u05xs2/comment/oqgihvq/
@slothrop Lol. I went to Proton cos of how bad Google are (Swiss, developed by CERN, etc). Who is a decent email provider these days, or do they start out with good intentions and get corrupted?
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@oscarfalcon @benroyce @alice @slothrop put this man into the @pluralistic wordmongering watchlist
@Shamhatt @oscarfalcon @benroyce @alice @slothrop I thought for a sec you were nominating @pluralistic for TECHMENSCH
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RE: https://nileane.fr/@nileane/116704285750838861
If you’re still using Proton mail:
The company is sponsoring the videos of French far-right / fascist YouTuber Vincent Lapierre.
If encryption is part of your vision for a better society, find a better service provider.
UPDATE 2026-06-08: Response from Proton. This comes after mods apparently deleted lots of critical posts in r/ProtonMail.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/1u05xs2/comment/oqgihvq/
@slothrop not surprising. And I’ll add to the list of why Proton is a horrible choice because of their CEO:
https://mas.to/@markwyner/116184563372403595
Folks who use Proton are gonna find out. Because holding an account with a fascist boot-licker is the fucking around part.
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@nileane @gotofritz @slothrop my understanding of the way many of these sponsor programs work is the company goes to an agency, and then the agency like subcontracts out to a bunch of different organizations, which then go and contact different youtubers
I don't know if proton is doing this, however this is my understanding of how many youtube sponsorships work
@solonovamax @nileane @gotofritz sure. But the reputational risk remains with the company - Proton, in this case.
Managing your brand image has costs. So does not managing your brand image.
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@alice @slothrop sadly some of those are already queer-run tho
RE: https://labyrinth.zone/objects/d051940a-03e9-4d0f-b3d8-81bac183ff58 -
@Infoseepage @slothrop
To be fair I looked the guy up and he was born in 1988. I'm quite sure that there is no intended connection to the nazi meaning.@schroedingerspossum @Infoseepage @slothrop I mean, I don't know the guy so not making any clams (or claims), however I think that given the deep significance of 8 for lucky (and 4 for unlucky) in Asian culture that it's verging on uncool to say people of Asian heritage can't use 8 anymore because of some dumb white assholes.
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@kleisli @slothrop kid was born. For a few years it was too exhausting to try to cope with life _and_ try to keep all computery things running. Gave up on Gentoo, own domain, Linux phone and homelab server. Just used the "easy" solutions. Now kid is old enough I've been cranking up the difficulty level again. Although not Gentoo, but Arch.
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@Infoseepage @michaelmaguire @slothrop I wasn't aware of that.
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@Shamhatt @oscarfalcon @benroyce @alice @slothrop I thought for a sec you were nominating @pluralistic for TECHMENSCH
@michaelmaguire @Shamhatt @benroyce @alice @slothrop
Hey why not?!?!
What I mean is there must be 'someone' who would adapt technology for the benefit of his fellow citizens NOT to extract rent from them, a decent human or group that make things better by reaching out and UNDERSTANDING that the "who" the tech benefits is its users. Nothing wrong with making a profit but there is something very wrong in exploiting, and it has been said: users are not your walking wallets*.
*h/t @pluralistic
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RE: https://nileane.fr/@nileane/116704285750838861
If you’re still using Proton mail:
The company is sponsoring the videos of French far-right / fascist YouTuber Vincent Lapierre.
If encryption is part of your vision for a better society, find a better service provider.
UPDATE 2026-06-08: Response from Proton. This comes after mods apparently deleted lots of critical posts in r/ProtonMail.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/1u05xs2/comment/oqgihvq/
@slothrop @mangochutney
@protonprivacy is this true? -
@mdione I see that you are a tech person.
Proton is regulary doing odd things, like the ways they do PGP encryption. Non standard.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40282187
Also, they will send informations about you if "the police" ask them. Maybe emails if in clear text.
The main Proton Mail alternative is Tuta (https://tutamail.com I think). I don't use them but if a friend recommand easy and safe email provider, it's my recommandation.
@ache @mdione That’s not strictly true. They are obliged to hand over payment information (which reveals your identity) if courts ask for it, but you can pay them in ways other than by credit card. Otherwise they can’t access your emails.
The whole “company Y is evil because…” discourse on Mastodon is exhausting and just sows confusion. This appears to be all over affiliate links, which every customer has access to.
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@ache @mdione That’s not strictly true. They are obliged to hand over payment information (which reveals your identity) if courts ask for it, but you can pay them in ways other than by credit card. Otherwise they can’t access your emails.
The whole “company Y is evil because…” discourse on Mastodon is exhausting and just sows confusion. This appears to be all over affiliate links, which every customer has access to.
@gavin57 @mdione Did you read the information they send to the police ?
Like "IP linked to the account", name of the device linked to the account", and a "mobile" number associated to the account (phone number ? Too long to be just the phone number, maybe IMSI).
Nothing linked the the payment information. Please don't call for "fake news". They don't seems to store clear text emails for now, that is a good thing.
It's not just a affialiated link. It's about money.
This far right activist is getting money from them.https://youtu.be/8aUdWFfKCog&t=66
But as I said, for a tech person, proton mail usage is just, "not the right way". Tuta isn't very better since is hard to use something else than the web ui (the WEB ui ! 🤯).
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@gavin57 @mdione Did you read the information they send to the police ?
Like "IP linked to the account", name of the device linked to the account", and a "mobile" number associated to the account (phone number ? Too long to be just the phone number, maybe IMSI).
Nothing linked the the payment information. Please don't call for "fake news". They don't seems to store clear text emails for now, that is a good thing.
It's not just a affialiated link. It's about money.
This far right activist is getting money from them.https://youtu.be/8aUdWFfKCog&t=66
But as I said, for a tech person, proton mail usage is just, "not the right way". Tuta isn't very better since is hard to use something else than the web ui (the WEB ui ! 🤯).
@ache @mdione The number of companies or services that don’t cause controversy on Mastodon is vanishingly small.
Proton has an objectionable YouTuber on their affiliate program.
They no doubt also have good people in their affiliate program. They have Vivaldi on their affiliate page, for example.
Are Proton services good enough for most people? Yes. Better than Gmail? Yes. Do they have some issues? Also yes, but show me a company that doesn’t.
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@Infoseepage @schroedingerspossum @slothrop Dang, I had just mostly switched over from the Googles.
Update: reading up on it some more, I think I'm going to stick with Proton for now:
