Proton, a privacy startup best known for its Proton Mail encrypted email service, just announced that its end-to-end encrypted cloud storage service is available today as an Android and iOS app. Proton Drive is available both for free and for a fee and offers users a way to securely upload, store and share files directly from their mobile devices.
proton propulsionThe end-to-end encryption ensures that only the user and the people they share with can access files – not even Proton itself can access the data without your permission. Users can send folders and files to anyone via share links (including non-Proton users) with options for passwords and expiration dates. Access can be revoked at any time and metadata is encrypted, including file and folder names, creation dates, and thumbnails. You can also sync and preview files through the Proton Drive mobile apps.
The free version of Proton Drive offers 1 GB of free cloud storage, which can be upgraded to 200 GB of storage for $3.99 per month as a standalone plan, or 500 GB via the Proton Unlimited subscription for $9.99 per month, including Proton Mail, Proton Calendar, and Proton VPN. There is no file size limit.
And since Proton is based in Switzerland, the company claims that Proton Drive is outside of US and EU jurisdiction and is not subject to intelligence sharing agreements such as Five eyes or Fourteen eyes. The Swiss Constitution is doing including data processing regulations (Article 13), although it should be noted that some Swiss laws only apply to Swiss residents. Other privacy protections such as the revised Swiss Data Protection Act (revDPA) however, may offer some protection to people living outside Switzerland.
“While there have always been apps to upload and store files on your phone, they offer poor privacy and mobile device data breaches are common,” Proton CEO Andy Yen said in a press release. “Proton Drive brings end-to-end encrypted file storage to iOS and Android and aligns with Proton’s mission to make privacy tools easy to use and freely available.”
Proton (not to be confused with the Linux compatibility layer with the same name) first launched Proton Drive for the web earlier this year and claims photos make up about 50 percent of the one million files uploaded to the service to date.
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