I downloaded ProtonVPN (5.5.68.0) a few months ago via the Google Play Store and have been happily using it ‘anonymously’ as a Guest with no problem. I recently purchased a new Android device and this time I chose to download the same VPN (5.5.68.0) via F-Droid to maintain some privacy. However, there appears to be no option in the FOSS version of the app to use Proton VPN as a guest - I am told I have to sign-up with an actual email address.
For a company claiming they are “Empowering you to choose a better internet where privacy is the default. Protect yourself online with… Proton VPN” (look to the right of this page), this decision astounds me. Assuming the error is not on my part, why is the purported FOSS version on F-Droid forcing users to give identifiable information (even if it’s only an email address and password), but the Google Android version does not?
You are right. Guess I expected more from a privacy advocate. Can’t even create an account with a Tuta email address, to silo my VPN activity from my Proton ID and usage.
You are not logged in. However you can subscribe from another Fediverse account, for example Lemmy or Mastodon. To do this, paste the following into the search field of your instance: !protonprivacy@lemmy.world
Empowering you to choose a better internet where privacy is the default. Protect yourself online with
Proton Mail, Proton VPN, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive. Proton Pass and SimpleLogin.
Proton Mail is the world’s largest secure email provider. Swiss, end-to-end encrypted, private, and free.
Proton VPN is the world’s only open-source, publicly audited, unlimited and free VPN. Swiss-based, no-ads, and no-logs.
Proton Calendar is the world’s first end-to-end encrypted calendar that allows you to keep your life private.
Proton Drive is a free end-to-end encrypted cloud storage that allows you to securely backup and share your files. It’s open source, publicly audited, and Swiss-based.
Proton Pass Proton Pass is a free and open-source password manager which brings a higher level of security with rigorous end-to-end encryption of all data (including usernames, URLs, notes, and more) and email alias support.
SimpleLogin lets you send and receive emails anonymously via easily-generated unique email aliases.
I see. So they stole my device’s Android email address? Very disappointing. Thank you for the help.
I mean you should expect this from any play store version of a app.
You are right. Guess I expected more from a privacy advocate. Can’t even create an account with a Tuta email address, to silo my VPN activity from my Proton ID and usage.