this post was submitted on 05 May 2026
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Can someone explain what the point is when the email contents are all read by the sender? Everything is already in a database somewhere.
Well, if the other person uses protonmail, your client encrypts the email content before submitting it, which means protonmail can't read it.
If they do not use protonmail, well, protonmail can. They apparently store the emails after they have been sent encrypted with a key in your account, so they can't read them afterwards.
About 99% of the world doesn't use protonmail. What good does it do if your email is stored unecryptes in the recipient's imbox over on gmail, apple mail, copilot 360, yahoo, yandex, or whatever else?
pretty much. that's why you don't use email for sensitive stuff.
I wish we replaced email with matrix.
Proton mail apparently can't read it. They actually can.
They've also proven that they'll give your information to law enforcement in a heartbeat.
I can encrypt a message with your public key, and only you can decrypt it. The db will store the encrypted version.
For example.
This is not necessarily what/why they do it, just one example of how asymmetric ciphers can be useful in an email scenario.
Just about nobody uses that. Your bank, your online store, your doctor, the state, and about everybody except Alice and Bob send you unencrypted mail.
Encrypting your email once received is like storing your postcards in a safe.
It was just an example. Maybe you have your private key locally to access your email, so that if there is a security breach it's impossible for them to release unencrypted emails?
I mean I don't know why, but there are loads of good examples of why someone would.