Proton acquires Standard Notes creating a new era of privacy-first digital services

Today privacy and security company Proton announced it has acquired encrypted notes app Standard Notes, furthering their shared mission of building a better internet where privacy is the default.

Founded in 2017, Standard Notes is an end-to-end encrypted note-taking application, available on mobile and desktop, that is used by over 300,000 people. It allows users to protect their personal notes, containing their most intimate and sensitive information, guaranteeing no one else can access them.

Proton was started in Switzerland in 2014 by scientists who met at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). Its vision is to build an internet where privacy is the default through an ecosystem of services accessible to everyone, everywhere, every day. Its first product, Proton Mail, is now the world's largest encrypted email service.

Subsequent open source Proton products such as Proton VPN, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive and Proton Pass leverage the same advanced encryption to give users full control over how and with whom their data is shared. It is supported by an active community in more than 180 countries. 

The acquisition makes sense when looking at the companies' shared values. 

Both Proton and Standard Notes use end-to-end encryption in all their products to guarantee user privacy. They are both committed to open source technology, have grown independently without relying on venture capital, and are community-focused, offering free versions of all their products to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay.

 Proton's unwavering commitment to privacy distinguishes it in an industry dominated by Big Tech firms like Google and Apple, which rely on user data for revenue. 

According to Andy Yen, Founder and CEO of Proton:

"The job of creating a wholly private internet is an incredibly difficult one, but we also know that we can't walk this path alone. 

That's why we're always excited to meet teams that are like-minded, share our mission and community focus, and join forces with them, as we are doing with Standard Notes today. 

It's rare to find two companies so aligned in values – both Proton and Standard Notes are wholly committed to privacy, are community first, and both have grown without venture capital – and this creates a natural fit to work together. 

We look forward to working with Mo and the Standard Notes team and to have them join us on our journey."

Standard Notes will remain open source, freely available, and fully supported.

Standard Notes will remain an independent product and in due course both companies will open access to their products to each others' users. 

Mo Bitar, Founder and CEO of Standard Notes, said: 

"At Standard Notes, over the past seven years we have sought to create a place where people are free to think and write without the worry that someone is looking over their shoulder. 

That freedom is incredibly rare on the internet today, and something that we want to safeguard forever. 

In Proton, we've found a partner that shares our laser focus on protecting privacy." 

This marks the second acquisition from the security company in as many years, after acquiring French company SimpleLogin in 2022.