Proton sign-ups show real extent of threat to democracies, freedom: Founder CEO Andy Yen

The extent of threat to democracy and freedom coincides with the number of people signing up for Proton, an internet service which provides virtual private networks (VPNs), said Proton's chief executive Andy Yen in an interview. Proton is best known for its encrypted email service, which it says is 'the future of email'.

Yen, while recalling the beginning of war in Ukraine last February, said that Proton saw "a 9,000 per cent increase in sign-ups over just a period of a few days," reflecting the impact of Russian decision to block the access of news sites which it claimed were spreading misinformation during the initial days ofRussian offensive on Ukraine.

The Switzerland-based VPN service provider also saw a huge surge in demand for its VPNs in Iran last October, as authorities began cracking downon internet access amidprotests following Mahsa Al-Amini's custodial death.

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"It was a factor of 10 at least," said Yen, a 34-year-old particle physicist who worked at Europe's physics lab CERN before founding Proton in 2014.

"If there is a coup happening in Africa, we see it in our data before it makes the news," he added.

Proton says that its mission of ensuring privacy and online access is a vital tool in keepingdemocracies alive and kickingin the digital age.

"Privacy is something that is essential for freedom," Yen said.

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The Proton chief grew up in Taiwan. The Chinese threat hanging over the democratic island coloured his world view, he says.

"We all see in Ukraine how important it is to have digital technologies that protect privacy and give people freedom of information so they can see real news sources," he said.

Referring to the situations in Iran, Russia and parts of Africa, Yen saidit was "essential" for companies like Proton to stay "even if there is a financial loss".

"If we abandon these markets, actually the consequences are quite severe."

(With inputs from agencies)

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