Here is an article that is not about any of the "normal" topics of this newsletter: genealogy, history, current affairs, DNA, and related topics. However,  it describes a service that I use daily and am very satisfied with it, so I decided to share it here. I am not paid by anyone for publishing this article; I am simply a very satisfied Proton Mail customer.

For years, I have been concerned with online privacy. I now use a very worthwhile tool in that battle. 

You should definitely check out Proton Mail if you've been looking for a better choice to free email services like Gmail. There is no cost for the service, and it gives you some of the most private email you can find. On top of that, it works with other Proton services, like its VPN, password manager, and even a calendar tool that focuses on privacy.

On the other hand, I think Proton really shines with its monthly plan. Proton Unlimited costs $13 a month ($10 a month if bought yearly), but the free version of its services already has a lot of features that might make the price worth it. But Proton Unlimited's extra features are well worth the money if you care about keeping your data safe online. You can also subscribe to just some of Proton's services if you don't think the whole deal is right for you.

What does Proton give you for free?

When you sign up for Proton's services, the most important features are already included. These include end-to-end privacy, encrypted contact information, and multiple calendars. You'll also get 5GB of free storage on Proton Drive. It's encrypted from end to end, so it's safer than Google Drive. There are also VPN features, but they only work on one device (in the free version). You can connect to VPN sites in five countries that are moderately fast. Along with that, Proton has its own free password generator called Proton Pass. Before you even pay a dime, there are so many great things about Proton that you might not even want to subscribe. But you should.

Proton VPN is available on all your devices, including Windows, Macs, Chromebooks, Linux, smartphones, and even routers.

So many ways to keep your email private

The fact that Proton Mail can handle three custom email addresses is one of my favorite things about Proton Unlimited: You can now change your email address to any other address you like, whether it's a custom site for your business or just a name that sounds better than @protonmail.com. In your Proton account, you can also use up to 15 different email names. This way, you can have separate accounts for things like shopping, social media, and more. You don't have to sign up for and manage different Proton accounts. This is a convenient way to break up your email alerts. You can also send as many messages as you want and make as many groups, labels, and custom filters as you want. The free version of Proton Mail has some limits in these areas.

It also lets you give out fake email addresses that all point back to your real address. This tool is called "hide-my-email aliases” (details are available at https://proton.me/support/aliases-mail) and it's included with Proton Unlimited. No one will have to know your real address that way. Apple has something similar, but you can only use it if you sign up on an Apple device. A lot more people can use Proton's product because it works on Windows PCs, Macs, iPhones, and Android phones.

When you sign up for Proton Unlimited, you'll be able to view 25 separate calendars instead of three. You can also share your calendar with other people. The basic Unlimited plan for Proton Drive comes with 500GB of storage. However, the biggest improvement is the larger Proton VPN (more on that later).

Another great thing about Proton Mail is that your emails are end-to-end encrypted, which means that no one can read them, not even the employees at Proton. This is especially helpful if you give and receive private information.

You can also just sign up for Proton Mail Plus if you don't need all the benefits that Proton Unlimited has to offer. Every month, this service costs $4.99 and gives you 15GB of space, 10 unique email addresses, and help for one unique email domain. Also, you can have as many files, labels, and filters as you want. However, you won't get the extra features that come with Proton VPN, which is fine for some.

If you have Unlimited, Proton's VPN is better.

Proton Unlimited gives you full access to all of Proton's fastest VPN sites in over 90 countries. Proton VPN is one of the best free VPNs you can find. You can also use P2P and BitTorrent, protect yourself with NetShield, use Tor over VPN, get better VPN speeds, set your own DNS if you want to, and connect to LANs.

When you share files or download them using P2P or BitTorrent, protection helps hide your IP address. Also, NetShield blocks ads and annoying trackers that keep an eye on your browsing past. Access to Tor over VPN also makes web reading even safer, because the Tor browser's features and Proton VPN's network routing work together so well. When you want to really step it up, the private DNS feature lets you protect yourself even more from bad people by giving you your own online connection method.

Because every site you view is trying to keep track of you in some way, it's important to use a VPN. The free Proton VPN is good, but the paid Proton Unlimited VPN blocks ads and tracks even better without slowing down your home internet too much. I've used other VPNs before, but Proton's speeds were always faster, even on the free version.

Proton Pass adds more vaults and built-in two-factor authentication.

Proton Pass lets you store passwords in two vaults, create 10 email aliases, and share your account with up to two other people without Proton Unlimited. But if you pay for Proton Unlimited, you can have up to 50 different passwords, as many hide-my-email aliases as you want, two-factor authentication (2FA) built in, and share with up to ten other people. You can subscribe to Pass Plus for $4.99 a month (or $1.99 a month if you pay for it all at once) if you only want to use Proton Pass.

New updates, such as tracking the Dark Web

The most recent update to Proton Unlimited adds real-time tracking of the Dark Web. If any of your personal information shows up on the shadier parts of the internet, you will be notified. A lot of banks offer these types of services, but keeping it somewhere you check every day, like your email, is the best way to make sure you're always on top of your security.

Once more, you don't have to pay Proton to get something out of this: You can use Proton Mail for free, and it has a lot of features. It also doesn't hide any important privacy settings behind a paywall, so you can use it to protect your privacy without spending any money. If you want even more privacy protection and more tools to keep your digital life in order, though, Proton Unlimited is the way to go.

To read more about Proton Mail and all of Proton’s other privacy-oriented services (many of which are FREE of charge), look at: https://proton.me/.