Proton Mail to Unleash Millions of Coveted Email Addresses

As of November 15, 2025, Proton Mail, the Switzerland-based privacy-centric email service, is considering releasing millions of old, deactivated email addresses that were improperly registered in the company's early days.

According to Proton, in the past, many user accounts were created using automated scripts before the company had proper anti-abuse systems in place. These accounts were then usually deactivated for violating Proton's terms of service, but the email addresses remained technically in use, preventing new users from claiming them.

With Proton's user base growing in recent years, the company says instances of people not getting their preferred username have been increasing. Many of the addresses registered early on would have been extremely common and desirable, such as [email protected]. As of April 2023, Proton had 100 million registered accounts, though this does not reflect the number of active users.

While some Proton users on social media have supported the potential decision to release these old usernames, others have expressed concerns. A tech news writer argues that "releasing these abandoned email addresses feels like a privacy landmine waiting to explode," as misdirected emails could suddenly start flowing to new owners of the addresses.

Proton has stated that no official decision has been made yet, and the company is still gathering community feedback on the matter. Some users have suggested limiting the released addresses to only paid Proton subscribers or introducing new country-specific domain names to address the issue.