Proton Mail has implemented Dark Web Monitoring for paid users, which will notify them of any breaches or leaks that may have occurred. If anything is discovered on the dark web, the functionality will send out notifications with information such as which service was attacked, what personal information the attackers obtained (e.g. passwords, name, etc.), and suggested next measures. To access these alerts at launch, you’ll need to visit the Proton Mail Security Center on the web or desktop, but the company says email and in-app notifications are coming soon.
The goal of dark web monitoring is to be a preventative security measure. It would notify you promptly if your credentials have been compromised so you can take action (ideally) before any harm is done if you signed up for a third-party service, such as a social media site, using your Proton Mail email address and hackers then stole user data from that service. Given that the service has always prioritized privacy and provides end-to-end encryption, it seemed like a sensible decision. However, free users will not be able to access Dark Web Monitoring.
“While data breaches of third-party sites leading to the leak of personal information (such as your email address) can never be entirely avoided, automated early warning can help users stay vigilant and mitigate worse side effects such as identity theft,” said Eamonn Maguire, Head of Anti-Abuse and Account Security at Proton.
