Russia blocks encrypted email provider ProtonMail

guest · Mar 12, 2019

Russia blocks encrypted email provider ProtonMail
March 11, 2019
https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/11/russia-blocks-protonmail/

The block was ordered by the state Federal Security Service, formerly the KGB, according to a Russian-language blog, which obtained and published the order after the agency accused the company and several other email providers of facilitating bomb threats.

In all, 26 internet addresses were blocked by the order, including several servers used to scramble the final connection for users of Tor, an anonymity network popular for circumventing censorship. Internet providers were told to implement the block “immediately,” using a technique known as BGP blackholing, a way that tells internet routers to simply throw away internet traffic rather than routing it to its destination.

ProtonMail chief executive Andy Yen called the block “particularly sneaky,” in an email to TechCrunch.
“ProtonMail is not blocked in the normal way, it’s actually a bit more subtle,” said Yen. "[...] Mail.ru — and most other Russian mail servers — for example, is no longer able to deliver email to ProtonMail, but a Russian user has no problem getting to their inbox,” he said.
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ronjor · Mar 12, 2019

ProtonMail back up in Russia after regime chokes access over 'terrorist activity'

By Gareth Corfield 12 Mar 2019
Service says that's ерунда
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guest · Mar 13, 2019

ProtonMail:

March 12, 2019
Due to the timing of the block, some ProtonMail users in Russia suspect that the block may be related to the mass protests this past weekend in Russia where 15,000 people took to the streets to protest for more online freedom.
Whatever the cause, we don’t believe this blocking of ProtonMail can be justified in any way. ProtonMail provides better email security for millions of people around the world. This is like banning helmets because criminals also sometimes use helmets.
Recommendations for ProtonMail users in Russia
We are carefully observing the situation and will take additional technical measures if necessary to keep ProtonMail operating normally in Russia. Given the current situation, where services can be targeted with little justification, we recommend the following:

1) Use a VPN. A VPN service allows most blocks to be circumvented. [...]
2) Encourage your contacts to use ProtonMail. The blocks attempted by the Russian government do not and cannot impact communications between ProtonMail accounts in Russia. [...]
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guest · Jan 29, 2020

Russia Blocks Swiss-Based ProtonMail over Wave of Bomb Threats
January 28, 2020
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/...ss-based-protonmail-over-wave-of-bomb-threats

Russia has blocked a second encrypted email provider, Swiss-based ProtonMail, in efforts to halt a prolonged series of anonymous bomb threats, the security service said Wednesday.

The FSB security service said Russia acted against Geneva-based ProtonMail after blocking another social network, Netherlands-based Smartmail, for the same reason last week.
Russia's communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, confirmed in a statement that access to ProtonMail was blocked Wednesday.

"We are working with the Swiss authorities and looking to communicate with the Russian authorities as we believe this block is unjustified," ProtonMail wrote on Twitter.
ProtonMail has been used to send messages to four regions falsely claiming bombs had been planted in more than 800 public places, the FSB said.
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guest · Jan 31, 2020

ProtonMail
Russia’s ProtonMail block – New revelations and information
January 31, 2020
https://protonmail.com/blog/russia-block-2020/

On Jan. 29, the Russian government announced via an official website that effective immediately, ProtonMail would be blocked in Russia. Since then, it has not been possible for users on most Russian networks to reach ProtonMail without using a VPN or Tor.

If you are a user in Russia facing this block, we recommend taking the following steps:

• Use Tor to access ProtonMail. The Tor network routes your Internet traffic through special Tor servers in such a way that makes it extremely difficult to block. We recommend you use the Tor Browser to access the Tor network.
• Complain to MTS, Rostelecom, and the other major Russian Internet service providers. If enough people complain, these ISPs and the Russian government may reconsider their approach.
To continue providing services to our users in Russia, we are currently reaching out to Russian authorities to contest the block as we believe it to be disproportionate, unjustified, and counterproductive. In parallel, we are also working on other solutions that would allow service to be restored without requiring the usage of Tor.
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Inaccurate statements by the Russian government
In their official statement, the Russian government alleged that we “responded with a categorical refusal to Roskomnadzor’s (the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media) repeated requests for information” and that “Information about the administrators of the mailboxes used to send threats has not been provided.” This is categorically false.
[...]
Therefore, the statements from the Russian government are inexplicable to us. There seems to be no justification for why they did not seek assistance under established international procedures. However, since making bomb threats is illegal under Swiss law, despite the absence of information or evidence from the Russian government, an investigation was also opened in Switzerland.
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guest · Mar 13, 2020

Proton Technologies announces deployment of anti-censorship system
March 13, 2020
https://www.neowin.net/news/proton-technologies-announces-deployment-of-anti-censorship-system

Proton Technologies, the firm behind ProtonMail and ProtonVPN, has announced a new anti-censorship system that will help people access its services if a government, ISP, or network administrator has blocked access. This will ensure that users anywhere in the world will also be able to access the secure encrypted email and VPN services.

The new system is called alternative routing and is available through Proton’s mobile and desktop applications, but not when trying to directly connect to its websites. The feature, when it launches in a few weeks, will be an optional setting within the apps.
The new feature is optional because it does have several drawbacks including the following: [...]

It said that more anti-censorship measures will be released going forward and that any new updates will be shared publicly.
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Introducing alternative routing to prevent censorship of Proton apps

In this article, we’ll describe some important information about alternative routing, and why this is an important step forward in our mission to provide privacy and security to all.
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Palancar · Mar 16, 2020

mood said: ↑

Proton Technologies announces deployment of anti-censorship system
March 13, 2020
https://www.neowin.net/news/proton-technologies-announces-deployment-of-anti-censorship-system

Introducing alternative routing to prevent censorship of Proton apps
Click to expand...

This is exactly what we do at Airvpn.

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