Privacy-focused service provider Proton has launched a new feature called Emergency Access, allowing users to designate trusted contacts who can securely access their Proton Account in case of death, illness, or other emergencies.
The feature, available to all paid Proton users, aims to address a growing need for digital contingency planning without compromising on end-to-end encryption or user control.
The newly introduced functionality enables users to select up to five emergency contacts who may gain access to their Proton data, including emails, stored passwords, and files, either immediately or after a custom delay period, which can range from several days to months.
Emergency Access differs from legacy systems like Google's Inactive Account Manager by avoiding reliance on account inactivity as a trigger. Instead, it adopts a request-based model. Once an emergency contact initiates a request, the account owner has the opportunity to approve or reject it during the configured wait period. If no action is taken, access is granted automatically after the delay. Users can also revoke or modify access permissions at any time.
Proton is widely known for its suite of privacy-centric tools, including Proton Mail, Proton VPN, Proton Drive, and Proton Pass. The company operates under strict Swiss privacy laws and has consistently prioritized user sovereignty over data. Emergency Access reflects this ethos by maintaining Proton's strict security model, keeping emergency data end-to-end encrypted and only allowing decryption by the recipient's Proton Account.
Unlike other tech platforms where emergency data access may be product-specific or inconsistently applied, Proton's approach is account-wide. A single access configuration enables emergency contacts to retrieve data across all Proton services, reducing complexity for families and executors in crisis situations. This includes sensitive records such as legal correspondence stored in Proton Mail, financial documents in Proton Drive, and secure logins in Proton Pass.
To use Emergency Access, both the account holder and their designated contacts must have Proton Accounts. The feature is available to users on any paid Proton plan, including Proton Unlimited, which bundles premium versions of all Proton services. Free-tier users will need to upgrade to access the new capability.
While Emergency Access offers a safeguard for loved ones in critical times, Proton emphasizes that control remains with the user at every step. Permissions can be adjusted or revoked at will, and access is never granted without a clear, predefined trigger.
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