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by John W. Simek, Vice President of Sensei Enterprises, Inc.

Russia is Pissed – Blocks ProtonMail Encrypted Email

March 13, 2019

If you want to protect your data, encryption is your friend. If you are not already using a secure messaging service, you should take a look at ProtonMail. According to a posting on Tech Crunch, Russia blocked access to the service. The block coincided with protests against government efforts to restrict the Internet. Apparently, Russia (like our own government) isn’t happy that it can’t monitor encrypted traffic. News flash…that’s exactly the point. Encrypted communication is designed to stop the snooping of the contents. That means you should be using encryption for any data transmission or any data at rest.

In an update, Russia has removed the block. The Register reported that ProtonMail is operational again after Russia blocked access to the encrypted email service, claiming that students at a sports competition were using it to spread anti-regime propaganda. No matter what the reason, make sure you have something available to allow you to send encrypted communication. ProtonMail is a good alternative to investigate.

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