About this episode

Nilay Patel interviews Bart Butler, CTO of Proton, discussing the company's approach to user privacy and the challenges it faces from government pressures.

We’ve got the first of a two-part series on the systems that run the world: I’m talking today with Bart Butler, the CTO of Proton, the company that makes private and secure productivity software. There’s a lot of big Decoder themes in this one. That includes how Proton has structured its ownership and architected its products to align its incentives with protecting users. At the same time, Proton faces new challenges and pressures, both at home in Switzerland and from the EU and US government that are putting its values to the test.  Links:  Proton now offers an entire bundle of office services | The Verge Proton Mail helped FBI unmask anonymous ‘Stop Cop City’ protester | 404Media Proton says it will leave Switzerland if this controversial law Is passed | Vice Age verification is a mess but we’re doing it anyway | The Verge Let’s build a children’s public internet | The Verge Let me see some ID: age verification is spreading across the internet | The Verge Why Chat Control 1.0 is the EU's most Orwellian law yet | Euronews Subscribe to The Verge to access the ad-free version of Decoder! Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast…

People in this episode

Host: Nilay Patel

Guest: Bart Butler

Topics covered

• privacy
• technology
• productivity software
• user protection
• government pressure
• ownership structure

Keywords

• Proton
• Bart Butler
• privacy software
• government challenges
• user protection
• Switzerland
• EU
• US

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Proton, The Verge, 404Media, Vice, Euronews

Books & works: Decoder

Places: Switzerland, EU, US

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