This is great news for Tutanota, and we welcome the initiative taken by the German government. It is good to see that there are politicians who understand the importance of our right to privacy.

End-to-end encryption should become the standard

The 'Charta for Strengthening Confidential Communication' declares that it supports easy-to-use encryption. Translated to English it reads: “We support more and better encryption. We want to become the encryption site number 1 in the world. For this, encryption should become a standard for the masses in their private communication.”

This will not only strengthen Germany as a good place for security companies like our secure email service Tutanota, but it is also an important signal that German politicians are committed to protecting their citizens' right to privacy.

It is also noteworthy that the new European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is largely based on the previous German Federal Data Protection Act. The GDPR requires that companies protect personal information they handle. Sending out personal information such as a private home address, bank details, or CVs of applicants with a normal email could lead to heavy fines under GDPR. It is best to secure emails containing personal information with end-to-end encryption. Find out here how easy your company can switch to a GDPR-compliant email service like Tutanota.

Lesson learned: Never let surveillance prevail over freedom

25 years ago, the surveillance state GDR came to an end with the unification of Eastern and Western Germany. With it one of the most rigorous monitoring of the entire population came to an end. We as Germans have learned our lesson.

We know how difficult it can be to live under total surveillance. We never want a system like this to monitor its own citizens 24/7 ever again. We will do everything to fight for our right to privacy. We want freedom to prevail.

Encryption is important to achieve privacy

Encryption is essential if you want to keep your private communication truly private. Unfortunately, the Internet with all its advantages has made it incredibly easy to monitor the entire communication – emails, text messages, phone calls. The only solution is strong end-to-end encryption.

That's why it is so important that German politicians support this Charta and take a stand in favor of encryption. While the world turns on more and more surveillance methods, recently accelerated by the horrible terrorist attacks in Paris, Germany will become a safe haven for security companies that want to offer true privacy to their users. We are very thankful for that, and we hope that politicians will remain true to their words.

If you haven't already, get your own free, secure email account to stop the surveillance of your private communication.