The Review One Person Asked For
This post started as a long-winded reply to a "call for opinions" on Proton that Jason Burk made on Mastodon. I've been thinking alot about the tools I use every day, and how I want to use every tool with intent - I believe I succinctly captured this in my post scriptum.
The Review:
In my attempt to de-Googlify myself, I started using Proton over a year ago. The draw for me was the promise of privacy and security. I wanted an all inclusive-ish service would allow me to escape the common techno-feudal alignments. I immediately started with Proton Unlimited because I wanted to move everything over from Google. During winter '23, I suckered myself into buying a whole year at a discount.
Fast forward to today, and I'm still using my Google account. Why? All of the Proton applications suck and are a pain to use, with the exception of the VPN. They seem to be so focused on rolling out features and products that weren't asked for, rather than polishing what they already have in place.
The fact that they just now got around to launching a desktop mail client is telling. Also, when you compare it to something like Fastmail, you get a fraction of the number of domains and addresses.
I'd love to have E2EE drive storage (was an early adopter of MEGA), but what's the point when it is so clunky trying to access anything? I'm better off putting it all on a NAS via Tailscale and encrypting the sensitive stuff.
I can't move my Google calendar over to Proton because Proton Calendar is in the dark ages. I can't even effectively use it in Fantastical, so it has gone completely unused.
I say all of this understanding and acknowledging that Proton's privacy and security is an important feature - and one that I will continue to use for particular things I may need to safeguard. But I don't need that for everything. I think I just like the company, and what they stand for, more than any of their individual products or services.
post scriptum:
The reality is - we make sacrifices daily when we engage with online platforms and tools, whether it be our time, privacy, or even parts of ourselves. This fact underscores the critical importance of using these technologies with deliberate intent and a clear purpose. Despite my mildly-displeased review, I recognize my choice to prioritize privacy over functionality by switching to Proton. I encourage you to join me in this mindful approach, actively choosing how we navigate the digital world to ensure our decisions reflect our values and contribute to our wellbeing.