May 01, 2025 07:00:00

Indian court orders nationwide block of encrypted email service 'Proton Mail' due to 'sending sexual images'

In a case involving the sending of AI-generated deep fake images and sexually explicit content through Swiss-based encrypted email service Proton Mail, the Indian High Court ordered the federal government to block Proton Mail on April 29, 2025.

Karnataka HC directs Center to ban encrypted email service 'Proton Mail' | Latest News India - Hindustan Times

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/karnataka-hc-directs-centre-to-ban-encrypted-email-service-proton-mail-101745953052044.html

Karnataka High Court Directs Union Govt To Take Steps For Blocking 'Proton Mail' In India
https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/karnataka-high-court/karnataka-high-court-hearing-central-government-ban-proton-mail-290709

Indian court orders blocking of Proton Mail | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/29/indian-court-orders-blocking-of-proton-mail/

According to local media outlet Hindustan Times, the Karnataka High Court has directed the government to initiate proceedings under the IT Act, 2008 and the Information Technology Rules, 2009 to block Proton Mail.

The court order was filed in response to a lawsuit filed by M Moser Design, an architectural design firm based in Bangalore. In the petition , the plaintiff company alleged that its female employees were repeatedly targeted by emails containing doctored photos, AI-generated deep fake images, and sexually explicit content sent through Proton Mail. The company also claimed that the emails were sent to numerous employees, business partners, and competitors, causing emotional damage and irreparable defamation to the people involved, and asked the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to block Proton Mail.

After reading the email received by M Moser Design, Justice Maheshan Nagaprasana of the Karnataka High Court noted that the content was 'similar to pornography' and that, given the seriousness of the issue, the central government must take appropriate action.

Proton Mail has reportedly also been used to send bomb threats to several schools in India. Police have asked Proton Mail to reveal the sender of the emails, but Proton Mail has refused, so the identity of the suspect who made the terrorist threats has not been identified. Police have asked the government to block Proton Mail, but this has not been achieved due to intervention by the Swiss government.

Jatin Sehgal, a lawyer for M Moser Design, argued in court that Proton Mail's website provides instructions on how to avoid surveillance by Indian authorities, and that Proton Mail has declared that it will remove its physical VPN from India after data storage on Indian VPN servers becomes mandatory in 2022. 'No one is permitted to operate a domestic business in our country that is inaccessible to law enforcement agencies. If you don't comply with Indian law and don't agree to provide access to your servers, you can't operate a business in India,' he said.

Meanwhile, Proton Mail said in

a statement about the bomb threats that 'blocking access to Proton Mail will only prevent law-abiding citizens from communicating securely and will not prevent cybercriminals from using alternative email services to send threats, especially if the perpetrators are based outside of India.'

Swiss law does not allow Proton Mail to transmit any data abroad, however Proton Mail must comply with orders from Swiss authorities, and the Swiss authorities may assist foreign authorities in investigating unlawful activity in Switzerland where necessary.

Indian authorities plan to issue a Letter of Request under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with Switzerland requesting information about the sender of the emails in question.