Proton introduces emergency access to accounts

Imagine the scenario, you’re suddenly hospitalized or incapacitated following an accident but access to important information like insurance details is locked up in your computer and online accounts which no one else can access.

For this and other emergency situations Proton is launching an Emergency Access feature so that passwords and logins, documents and files will be recoverable by trusted individuals in case of an emergency.

Proton users can choose up to five trusted contacts who are able to gain access to their accounts on services like ProtonMail, ProtonPass and ProtonDrive, either with the users' immediate approval or after a custom set wait time.

Emergency access maintains Proton’s end-to-end encryption and provides access to data across all devices. Setup and sign-in is done via web browser. Trusted contacts can gain access immediately or after a custom wait time set by the user in advance. If a trusted contact requests access during the wait time, the user can approve it immediately or deny access. If no action is taken by the user, access will automatically be granted after the designated wait.

Daniel Rivera Jäggi, senior product manager -- accounts at Proton, says, "Your digital life lives in your apps. We routinely have to manage hundreds of passwords, logins and apps as well as thousands of emails, files and folders. Needless to say, as a result it can be immensely stressful if these vital tools are unavailable to loved ones in times of emergency. Emergency access offers a secure and simple way to  grant access to loved ones in the case of an emergency. Like all of Proton's products and features, emergency access has been engineered with privacy and security in mind and offers users an effective tool to add an extra layer of assurance and peace of mind to their Proton account without compromising end-to-end encryption."

Emergency access will be available to paid Proton users from today. You can read more about the feature on the Proton blog.

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