- Proton said the company has begun moving some of its physical infrastructure out of Switzerland for fear of the new proposed surveillance law
- Lumo, the company’s newly launched privacy-first AI chatbot, is the first product to move
- An amendment to the current surveillance law would require VPNs and messaging apps to identify and retain user data
Proton has confirmed the company has begun moving out of Switzerland due to “legal uncertainty” over the newly proposed surveillance law.
Proton’s newly launched privacy-first AI chatbot, Lumo, has become the first product to change home yet, “investing in Europe does not equate to leaving Switzerland,” a company spokesperson told TechRadar, amid rumors it’s exiting the country for good.
The firm behind one of the best VPN and encrypted email services has been very critical of the Swiss government’s proposed amendment of its surveillance law since the beginning, already sharing plans to quit Switzerland back in May.
If it passes, the Ordinance on the Surveillance of Correspondence by Post and Telecommunications (OSCPT) will introduce new obligations for virtual private networks (VPNs), messaging apps, and social networks. These measures include mandatory user identification and data retention of up to six months for all services with at least 5,000 users. Providers will also be required to decrypt the communication upon the authorities’ request should they own encryption keys.
Lumo – the first to go
Proton launched its ChatGPT competitor, Lumo, in July 2025, to give its users an alternative to Big Tech solutions that truly protect their privacy.
In a blog post about the launch, Proton’s Head of Anti-Abuse and Account Security, Eamonn Maguire, explains that the company has decided to invest outside Switzerland for fear of the looming legal changes.
He wrote: “Because of legal uncertainty around Swiss government proposals to introduce mass surveillance – proposals that have been outlawed in the EU – Proton is moving most of its physical infrastructure out of Switzerland. Lumo will be the first product to move.”
Talking to a Swiss publication after the launch, Proton’s CEO Andy Yen confirmed that the proposed changes to the Swiss surveillance law made the company opt for Germany instead to host Lumo’s servers. Proton has also confirmed it’s also developing facilities in Norway.
While the company did not specify that Germany would become the new home of the majority of its infrastructure, Proton confirmed to TechRadar that investing in Europe doesn’t equate to leaving Switzerland.
It’s worth noting, however, that being based in the EU could make Proton, and similar companies, vulnerable to wider data retention or scanning obligations if proposals like the so-called ProtectEU or Chat Control were to pass.
We approached Proton for clarification on this point, but are still waiting for a reply at the time of publication.
What’s next for the Swiss tech privacy industry?
Proton isn’t the only provider that has been vocal against what critics have deemed Switzerland’s “war against online anonymity.”
Another VPN provider, NymVPN, confirmed back in May its intentions to leave Switzerland if the new surveillance rules are enforced.
Talking to TechRadar, Nym’s co-founder and COO, Alexis Roussel, shares support for Proton’s decision to find a new home for its private AI chatbot.
He said, “Proton is in a position that they are expanding, so it totally makes sense. You cannot invest in privacy in Switzerland right now.”
Roussel also confirmed to TechRadar that the company has already developed a strategy to move its VPN activities outside Switzerland and the EU. Yet, this remains the last resort.
He also explains that the fact that Nym works on a decentralised infrastructure means that it won’t be affected by the encryption provision, as the company doesn’t hold any encryption keys.
“Depending on how they modify things within the law, this will affect our decision to move. But we would like to resist the ordinance until the end and go to the tribunal,” said Roussel.
As reported by Cyberinsider, also secure and private messaging app Session said that, “while keeping a close eye on the situation,” its decentralized structure means its services are less vulnerable to the changes.
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