Latest news with #ProtonMail
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Keep taking down offensive email addresses: Karnataka HC to Switzerland-based Proton Mail
While hearing Switzerland-based Proton Mail's appeal to reconsider an earlier order banning the email service in India, the Karnataka High Court Thursday directed the company to keep taking down URLs sending offensive emails referred to in the original petition. In April, the Karnataka High Court had issued directions to the Centre to begin the process to block Proton Mail after M Moser Design Associates complained that several of its women employees received 'obscene' and 'AI-generated material' through Proton Mail. The Karnataka High Court had ordered at the time, 'Mandamus issued to respondents – Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) and Ministry of Communications to initiate proceedings in terms of Section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000 read with Rule 10 of the IT Procedure and Safeguards of Blocking of Access to Information by Public Access Rules, 2009 to block ProtonMail.' Last year, the Delhi High Court had also directed the police and the Centre to examine the use of Proton Mail in India. During the hearing on Thursday, Moser's counsel had argued that Proton Mail's servers were located outside the country to avoid the provisions of the IT Act, and only the Swiss government has access to them. Proton Mail argued that there were issues with the service of summons in the initial case. The counsel of the Union Government stated that proceedings to examine whether the email service should be blocked were underway, and the exercise was expected to take about eight weeks. Moser's counsel Jatin Sehgal complained that they were 'still receiving emails from the portal.' In response to this, the high court told Proton Mail, 'If he is receiving emails, he will give the URL to you. You will block it.' The court directed that complaints be submitted to the nodal officer of Proton Mail dealing with these issues. The matter will be heard next on August 20.
Time of India
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
HC begins hearing on Proton Mail's appeal against proceedings to block it in India
The Centre on Tuesday informed a division bench of the Karnataka high court that proceedings under the Information Technology Act were on to block Proton Mail in India.A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice V Mameswar Rao and Justice S M Joshi heard a writ appeal by Proton Mail challenging the single-judge order to ban its services in Solicitor General Arvind Kamath informed the bench that the Centre had initiated proceedings under Section 69A IT Act, 2000. The proceeding was going on, but the mail service had not yet been blocked. A government committee will take the final call, he Manu Prabhakar Kulkarni, appearing for Proton, urged the court to direct the government not to 'precipitate' action against Proton Mail. He added that if the block order was passed, no one in India would be able to use the mail High Court had in April directed the Centre to take steps to block the Switzerland-based Proton Mail in India after security threats were flagged by an affected M Nagaprasanna passed the judgment on a petition from M Moser Design Associated India Pvt Ltd, seeking a direction to the Union Government to take such steps as are necessary to ban the use of Proton Mail in court issued the direction to the Centre to act under Section 69A of the IT Act, read with Rule 10 of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public).The petitioner had sought relief after unidentified miscreants sent vulgar, sexually coloured and obscene emails about its employees to its client as well as other employees, causing widespread reputational company informed the court that although his client had filed a police complaint to investigate the vulgar emails sent about its employee using Proton Mail, the law enforcement agencies were helpless, as Proton Mail had declined to share details of the senders of the judge had asked the Centre to block the offending URLs till such time steps were initiated to block the mail.
Reuters
01-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Swiss privacy tech firm Proton sues Apple in US over app store rules
June 30 (Reuters) - Swiss privacy software company Proton on Monday sued Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab in U.S. federal court, accusing the technology giant of maintaining an illegal stranglehold on iPhone app distribution and charging excessive commissions to app developers. Proton, which provides the secure email service Proton Mail, filed the proposed class action, opens new tab in the federal court in Oakland, California, on behalf of app developers. The lawsuit said Apple was violating antitrust law by forcing developers to use its payment processing services and imposing a 30% commission on most transactions. A related class action was filed, opens new tab in May against Apple by the Korean Publishers Association and several other plaintiffs. Proton said it was building on that lawsuit, and was focused on winning a court order that would force Apple to allow competing app stores and payment processors on its iOS platform. In a statement, Proton said it sued Apple 'to set an important precedent that free people, not monopolies, will dictate the future of the internet.' Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Founded in 2014, Proton offers secure consumer-facing apps for email, calendars and other areas. The company now has more than 100 million user accounts, according to its lawsuit. Proton's lawsuit estimated there were millions of potential class members. Apple faces other antitrust lawsuits, including one filed by the U.S. Justice Department accusing the company of monopolizing the smartphone market. Apple has denied the claims and asked a judge to dismiss the case. The case is Proton AG v. Apple, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 4:25-cv-05450. For plaintiff: Sam Stake of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and Michael Eisenkraft of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll For defendant: No appearance yet Read more: Apple must face consumer lawsuit over iCloud storage, US judge rules Apple loses bid to pause app store reform order in Epic Games case Google hit with US lawsuit by Korean publishers, app developer
TechCrunch
30-06-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
Privacy-focused app maker Proton sues Apple over alleged anticompetitive practices and fees
Privacy-focused software provider Proton, makers of Proton Mail, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive, and other apps, has sued Apple, alleging anticompetitive practices in Apple's App Store. In the new lawsuit, Proton says the iPhone maker holds a monopoly in the smartphone, app distribution, and app payment processing markets. It also compares Apple's fees to tariffs on internet commerce, calling them 'artificial and arbitrary.' The suit is looking for changes to the App Store and monetary damages, which Proton says will be donated to organizations fighting for democracy and human rights. The court papers, filed in the Northern District of California, are a part of a larger class-action suit against Apple. Proton says it's joining other developers, including a group of Korean developers, who are also suing the tech giant. The suit is among the latest to challenge Apple's chokehold on the mobile app market. It follows another yearslong battle between Epic Games and Apple, which Apple largely won as it was declared not to be a monopoly, setting a precedent for the new lawsuit to argue against. However, the judge in that case also ruled that Apple must let U.S. app developers link to their websites where they offer alternative payment mechanisms, without charging a commission on those sales. (Apple is still fighting this matter on appeal.) Proton's case takes a different angle. It cites the Epic case, saying that the evidence proved that Apple makes such a large profit on App Store fees that it questions whether the fees are really necessary to support the maintenance of the App Store, as Apple claims. Proton, similarly, takes issue with Apple's policies around payments. It points out how Apple barred developers from talking directly to their customers in the app, where they could inform them of discounts on the web. In addition, apps that don't support Apple's payment system are at risk of being removed from the App Store, the suit states. Techcrunch event Save $450 on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW The arguments around payments delve into other nuances about how the system works, like how it's harder to manage payments and subscriptions across devices because of Apple's rules. For instance, the company explained in a blog post that customers who upgraded their accounts on the web can't downgrade from their iOS device, which is a poor customer experience. Proton also argues that its Calendar app can't be set as the default, although iOS allows users to swap out the defaults for other apps like browsers, email, phone calls, messaging, and more. And it notes that its Proton Drive is restricted from background processing, whereas iCloud is not. Notably, Proton's case focuses on how Apple's single point of distribution with the App Store makes it a tool used by dictatorships around the world to silence free speech. On this front, it points to all the apps Apple has to remove to comply with laws in markets like Russia and China. That decision trickles down to iOS developers, Proton says, like when its VPN app was threatened with removal because it claimed to 'unblock censored websites.' 'Apple's monopoly control of software distribution on iOS devices presents a myriad of problems for consumers, businesses, and society as a whole,' Proton's post reads. 'Anti-monopoly laws exist because the power gifted by monopoly status inevitably leads to abuse. In the case of oligarchic tech giants, these abuses have wide implications for society, and it's vital to the future of the internet that they be addressed now.' We reached out to Apple for comment and did not immediately hear back.
TechCrunch
30-06-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
Privacy-focused app maker Proton sues Apple over alleged anticompetive practices and fees
Privacy-focused software provider Proton, makers of Proton Mail, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive, and other apps, has sued Apple, alleging anticompetitive practices in Apple's App Store. In the new lawsuit, Proton says the iPhone maker holds a monopoly in the smartphone, app distribution, and app payment processing markets. It also compares Apple's fees to tariffs on internet commerce, calling them 'artificial and arbitrary.' The suit is looking for changes to the App Store and monetary damages, which Proton says will be donated to organizations fighting for democracy and human rights. The court papers, filed in the Northern District of California, are a part of a larger class-action suit against Apple. Proton says it's joining other developers, including a group of Korean developers, who are also suing the tech giant. The suit is among the latest to challenge Apple's chokehold on the mobile app market. It follows another yearslong battle between Epic Games and Apple, which Apple largely won as it was declared not to be a monopoly, setting a precedent for the new lawsuit to argue against. However, the judge in that case also ruled that Apple must let U.S. app developers link to their websites where they offer alternative payment mechanisms, without charging a commission on those sales. (Apple is still fighting this matter on appeal.) Proton's case takes a different angle. It cites the Epic case, saying that the evidence proved that Apple makes such a large profit on App Store fees that it questions whether the fees are really necessary to support the maintenance of the App Store, as Apple claims. Proton, similarly, takes issue with Apple's policies around payments. It points out how Apple barred developers from talking directly to their customers in the app, where they could inform them of discounts on the web. In addition, apps that don't support Apple's payment system are at risk of being removed from the App Store, the suit states. Techcrunch event Save $450 on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW The arguments around payments delve into other nuances about how the system works, like how it's harder to manage payments and subscriptions across devices because of Apple's rules. For instance, the company explained in a blog post that customers who upgraded their accounts on the web can't downgrade from their iOS device, which is a poor customer experience. Proton also argues that its Calendar app can't be set as the default, although iOS allows users to swap out the defaults for other apps like browsers, email, phone calls, messaging, and more. And it notes that its Proton Drive is restricted from background processing, whereas iCloud is not. Notably, Proton's case focuses on how Apple's single point of distribution with the App Store makes it a tool used by dictatorships around the world to silence free speech. On this front, it points to all the apps Apple has to remove to comply with laws in markets like Russia and China. That decision trickles down to iOS developers, Proton says, like when its VPN app was threatened with removal because it claimed to 'unblock censored websites.' 'Apple's monopoly control of software distribution on iOS devices presents a myriad of problems for consumers, businesses, and society as a whole,' Proton's post reads. 'Anti-monopoly laws exist because the power gifted by monopoly status inevitably leads to abuse. In the case of oligarchic tech giants, these abuses have wide implications for society, and it's vital to the future of the internet that they be addressed now.' We reached out to Apple for comment and did not immediately hear back.
