India's High Court orders block of Proton Mail encrypted email service

the High Court of Karnataka, India, ruled on April 29 to immediately ban the encrypted email service Proton Mail, citing the country's "2008 Information Technology Act." The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit filed by a design company in New Delhi in January, accusing its employees of receiving offensive emails through the service. Proton Mail faced a proposed ban in March 2024 for "false bomb threats," but it was ultimately not implemented.

This ruling reflects the increasing global regulation of encrypted communication platforms, with Telegram founder Pavel Durov being arrested in France for content moderation issues. It is worth noting that Proton Mail's Swiss parent company provided user data to Spanish authorities in 2024, sparking concerns among privacy advocates about centralized services.