Topic: Protonmail

A technical discussion ensues regarding the selective failure of Gmail to deliver the show's newsletter, leading to a recommendation for users to switch to ProtonMail or FastMail. An anecdote follows about the early 1980s and the Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), where a column written for DEC Professional won a Computer Press Association award. The segment touches on the historical unreliability of email dating back to the ARPANET era.

Denmark, currently holding the rotating EU presidency, is pushing for a roadmap that would grant law enforcement "lawful access" to end-to-end encrypted data. The proposal includes requiring master keys for messaging apps and using AI to scan communications for unlawful activity. This move represents a significant shift in European privacy policy, potentially undermining the security of services like Protonmail and sparking a confrontation with tech companies that prioritize user encryption.

The hosts select "Amazeballs" as the final ISO for the episode. John Dvorak provides a "Tip of the Day" recommending Private Internet Access (PIA) as a high-bandwidth VPN, while Adam Curry mentions using ProtonMail's VPN to access Dutch television. The episode ends with a montage of clips including a woman divorcing her husband over Taylor Swift and a discussion on brain fog.

The hosts discuss potential suppression of the No Agenda newsletter, noting inconsistent delivery across Gmail and ProtonMail. Dvorak reminisces about his history writing for Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) magazines in the 1980s and his long-standing frustrations with email networking systems.

The hosts discuss ongoing technical difficulties with newsletter delivery, noting that Gmail and Apple Mail frequently flag their content as spam. They recommend ProtonMail as a more reliable alternative for subscribers. The segment concludes with birthday wishes for Tom Turner, Matthew Hoffman, and Dame Jennifer, who is celebrating her 33rd birthday.

The No Agenda newsletter faced significant delivery issues, with many subscribers using Apple Mail and Gmail reporting that they did not receive the latest update. The hosts discuss technical causes such as DMARC record tightening and aggressive spam filtering by major tech platforms, recommending ProtonMail as a more reliable alternative.

Recommendations for maintaining digital privacy include using GrapheneOS on Pixel phones, switching to Signal for messaging, and learning to operate Linux servers. Users are encouraged to explore Bitcoin and decentralized email solutions to avoid the eventual corporate acquisition or compromise of services like ProtonMail or Hushmail. The hosts emphasize moving away from centralized big tech ecosystems entirely.

Producers seeking to move away from Google services are advised to look into NextCloud for self-hosted email, calendar, and file sharing. The hosts acknowledge several high-value donations from producers in Texas, New York, and Massachusetts. One donor noted the presence of armed individuals at the Capitol protest as a potential reason for the lack of police resistance.

The hosts discussed the importance of the show's newsletter as a reminder for listeners to support the "value-for-value" model. They addressed technical challenges with HTML emails and spam filters, noting that while some listeners prefer plain text, HTML is more effective for marketing. They recommended ProtonMail as a reliable alternative for receiving the newsletter and thanked several high-tier donors, including Tony Santos and Adam Barrett.

The discussion shifts to the merits of decentralized email, with one host advocating for personal mail servers despite the technical difficulty. They suggest that users on free platforms like Gmail "get what they pay for" in terms of privacy and reliability. Additionally, the problem of VPN users being blocked by websites due to "dirty" shared IP addresses used by spammers is explored.

Google has begun charging users for Gmail storage once they exceed a 15-gigabyte limit, a move described as a "long-game bait and switch." Users are being prompted to sign up for "Google One" to continue receiving emails. The hosts recommend ProtonMail as an alternative, though they express minor concerns regarding its default encryption key structure.