Proton Mail provided Swiss authorities with payment data for defendtheatlantaforest@protonmail.com — the account linked to Stop Cop City protests in Atlanta. The FBI obtained this information through a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty request on January 25, 2024, identifying the activist behind the anonymous account through their credit card identifier.
All over a credit card, really. That’s an OPSEC error. They could’ve used Privacy.com or cryptocurrency with a disposable address, but no, they decided a credit card in their name, because f$ck crypto.
Credit cards create permanent identity links that no encryption protocol can erase.
Here’s the brutal truth about “anonymous” email services: your payment method matters more than your password strength. Proton accepts cryptocurrency and cash precisely because credit cards eliminate anonymity from day one.
Every monthly subscription charge links your encrypted account to your real identity through financial records that governments access routinely. The Stop Cop City activist could have sent messages in unbreakable code, but their credit card told the whole story.
Yeah, I kind of expected it would be an opsec error. Still a big L for Proton. I have been hesitant to move due to them not being on Fdroid or having Linux support. One of the last major things for me to de-google. Tuta seems nice tho.
Tuta could be forced to reveal the same information by their government as Proton did, in theory. I say this not knowing their local laws in particular.
Still a big L for Proton.
For what? Comply with law? They not go to prison for you.
I am aware, and it is not a crime to be a protester or activist.
