"We would be less confidential than Google" Proton threatens to quit Switzerland

Summary

Proton CEO confirmed the company will leave Switzerland if new controversial surveillance rules passAn amendment to the current surveillance law would require VPNs and messaging apps to identify and retain user dataAnother Swiss company, NymVPN, is also ready to leave the country instead of undermining its privacy and security infrastructureProton confirms the company will leave Switzerland if new controversial surveillance rules pass.Switzerland is considering amending its surveillance law, with experts warning against the risk to secure encryption and online anonymity in the country. Specifically, the amendment could require all VPN services, messaging apps, and social networks to identify and retain user data – an obligation that is now limited to mobile networks and internet service providers.The firm behind one of the best VPN and encrypted email services, Proton, is ready to fight back on behalf of the privacy of its over 100 million users. Other Swiss-based companies, like NymVPN, are also doing the same.No choice but to leaveIn an interview with RTS (Radio Télévision Suisse) on May 13, 2025, Proton CEO Andy Yen slammed the proposed amendment as a "major violation of the right to privacy" that will also harm the country's reputation and its ability to compete on an international level."This revision attempts to implement something that has been deemed illegal in the EU and the United States. The only country in Europe with a roughly equivalent law is Russia," said Yen.The amendment aims to expand the number of service providers targeted to include so-called "derived service providers". Crucially, the new provisions will introduce three new types of information and two types of monitoring.If the changes pass, Proton will be forced to modify how Proton Mail and Proton VPN handle encryption, alongside its strict no-log policies – something the company isn't willing to do."I think we would have no choice but to leave Switzerland," said Yen. "The law would become ...