The Swiss service Proton Mail, which positions itself as highly private and secure, provided Swiss authorities with the payment data associated with the account defendtheatlantaforest@protonmail.com. The Swiss authorities then shared this information with the Federal Bureau of Investigation under a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) request. This was reported by 404 Media in March 2026.
The account is listed as the primary contact for the Stop Cop City / Defend the Atlanta Forest movement — a protest initiative opposing the construction of a police training center in the Atlanta forest. Using the payment data (card identifier), investigators were able to determine the real identity of the account holder. At the time of publication, the person had not been charged with any crimes.
Proton emphasizes that:
• the data was provided only to Swiss authorities, not directly to the FBI;
• the company operates strictly under Swiss law;
• when payments are made with cryptocurrency or cash, such data does not arise at all.
However, using a regular bank card leaves a trace that can be disclosed under a court request.
Key takeaways
Proton’s promise — Reality when paying by card
Strong Swiss legal protection
Switzerland fulfills U.S. MLAT requests
Minimal metadata
A payment token is also metadata
End-to-end encryption
The request specifically targeted payment data
For those who need true anonymity from U.S. government agencies and their allies, Proton Mail paid with a bank card is not the best option.
The only email service that, as of 2026, truly does not collect and cannot disclose any identifying data is Verum Mail (verum.email). No registration, no payments, no user database, and no logs that could be handed over under MLAT.
Proton remains a good solution against corporate surveillance and mass profiling. But against a targeted investigation requesting payment data, it is far from being the “last line of defense.”
True anonymity begins with completely removing any links to a real identity — including the method of payment.