# Criticism of Proton's subscription options

**URL:** https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/criticism-of-protons-subscription-options/32206
**Category:** Off Topic
**Created:** 2024-11-27T13:28:45Z
**Posts:** 29
**Showing post:** 11 of 29

## Post 11 by @PurpleDime — 2025-10-17T20:27:55Z

> [@CyberOtter](#):
>
> I dare say no, there is not. You clearly did not understand Cory Doctorow’s concept or are using it with ill intent.

Respectfully, I don’t think I am. I have been following Doctorow’s work for over a decade. I am currently reading his book, and I don’t think I misinterpreted or misappropriated the term.

> [@CyberOtter](#):
>
> Criticism of Proton subscription tiers is absolutely legit, but please don’t confuse it with platform decay - this just takes away from the very real issues of enshittification on platforms such as Uber, Amazon, Facebook, etc.

[**Have you watched Cory Doctorow’s recent podcast interview with Adam Conover?**](https://youtu.be/P1EKQidRooc) In it, he defines enshittification as platform decay as you say, but he allows it to be applied to any business that deliberately gets worse to force customers into a certain behavior. Hence, me applying the term to Proton and other companies like Evernote and Microsoft for what they are doing with Windows.

At [9:35](https://youtu.be/P1EKQidRooc?si=Bx6ZxFMsYJYsMJ31&t=575) Cory explains how he first used the term to describe his horrible experience with Trip Advisor’s website. Then at [11:11](https://youtu.be/P1EKQidRooc?si=wpg_2_56SgZaUxo2&t=671) Adam goes into how the term became popular to express anger that everybody feels, and at [11:39](https://youtu.be/P1EKQidRooc?si=IzePd01pOvl9aeNx&t=699) Cory says the following:

> _**Here’s your permission officially to use this word in a loose, non-technical term. There are a bunch of weird scolds who follow people around online and say “No you’re using enshittificaiton wrong! You have to use it in this strict technical sense.” […] Use it to mean things getting rotten. That’s fine. I don’t want to confine its use to a group of irrelevant insiders who use it in a precise technical sense. Use it loosely! That’s fine.**_

I hope this clarifies the matter.

I noticed you didn’t contest my use of the term _dark pattern_ to describe what Proton is doing.

**Does that mean you agree with it?**

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