Karnataka Court Orders Proton Mail Block in India
1min read The High Court of Karnataka in India has ordered the government to block Proton Mail, an encrypted email service, within the country. This decision came after a hearing on April 29, where Justice M Nagaprasanna cited authority under the Information Technology Act of 2008. The order was in response to a complaint filed in January by a New Delhi-based design firm, which alleged that some of its employees received offensive emails through Proton Mail.
The court's directive to block Proton Mail's domain names immediately highlights the tension between privacy and security in the digital age. Proton Mail's end-to-end encryption, which is designed to protect user data, also makes it difficult for authorities to trace the origin of emails, posing a national security risk. The court noted that the service's anonymity and lack of ID verification could be exploited for malicious activities, such as sending harassing or threatening messages.
This is not the first time Proton Mail has faced challenges in India. Earlier this year, the Tamil Nadu police urged the Union IT ministry to block the service after 13 Chennai schools received hoax bomb threats via Proton Mail. The local law enforcement agencies were unable to trace the origin of the emails due to the service’s end-to-end encryption and lack of cooperation from the Swiss company. The IT ministry reportedly agreed to a block order following a recommendation from the Section 69A blocking committee.
Ask Aime: "Can Proton Mail be blocked in India, and what is the rationale behind the High Court of Karnataka's decision?"
Proton Mail has had previous clashes with the Indian government. In 2022, the company pulled out its physical servers from India in protest against new CERT-In directives mandating data retention by VPNs and cloud service providers. Proton Mail has also criticized India’s surveillance laws, describing them as "regressive" and the Telecommunications Act, 2023 as a "threat to democracy."
The court's decision to block Proton Mail underscores the ongoing debate between privacy and security in the digital age. While end-to-end encryption is essential for protecting user data, it also poses challenges for law enforcement agencies in tracing and preventing criminal activities. The Indian government's move to block Proton Mail is a significant step in addressing these concerns, but it also raises questions about the balance between privacy and national security.
It remains unclear whether the ban will take effect or face other possible challenges in court. Proton Mail has previously continued to operate in the country despite similar proposals from Indian authorities. The company has not yet responded to requests for comment on the latest developments.
