Proton claims that managing your Gmail messages through its service gives you more privacy.
Some people are looking to abandon Google altogether as the company embraces AI even further, including transforming search into an AI-driven experience. It will not necessarily be easy for everyone to dissociate themselves from Google services, but some competitors offer exits. DuckDuckGo, for example, said it saw “a sustained increase” in installs after Google announced its search overhaul. Proton, meanwhile, is looking to help people ditch Gmail.
It was already possible to check your Gmail inbox from Proton Mail using the Easy Switch tool (which also supports importing emails from other third-party providers). You can now also send emails from your Gmail address within the Proton service.
Proton hopes that you will gradually update logins to important services to use a Proton Mail address instead of a Gmail address, and then delete your Google account. You may not yet be ready to give up a Gmail address you’ve used for many years. In the meantime, Proton suggests that managing your emails through its service offers a lot more privacy.
It says that if you make the change, “Google will no longer be able to use your email activity, such as the emails you read and interact with, to create a profile about you. When your friends and family also use Proton Mail, messages exchanged between Gmail addresses connected to Proton are end-to-end encrypted, so Google will no longer be able to read your data.” Proton noted that it “removes trackers, ads, and spam from your emails” for more confidentiality.
The Gmail data you import into Proton Mail using Easy Switch includes attachments, calendars, and contacts in addition to your conversations (it’s also possible to transfer Google Photos and Google Drive files to Proton Drive). Once you set things up, Proton Mail can automatically fetch any emails you receive through your Gmail address. Proton added that “connecting your Gmail does not give Google access to your Proton Mail inbox, so your privacy remains fully intact and protected.”
There are other third-party clients you can use to manage Gmail messages, including Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail, and Thunderbird. However, Proton’s promise of end-to-end encryption might be enticing enough for some people to use Proton Mail instead.
