Proton Founder: A Unique Opportunity For Europe

• 13.06.2025, 11:01

The EU has an advantage over the US and China.

The opening ceremony of a unique photo exhibition "Through the Lens: Protecting Democracy and Freedom in Cyberspace" took place at the European Parliament building in Brussels on June 11. The exhibition, organized by Proton, a Swiss company providing secure online services, and Lithuanian MEP Virginijus Sinkevičius, consisted of four parts. The first was dedicated to Charter'97 and its editor-in-chief Natallia Radzina. The other three were dedicated to Proton VPN Observatory (Proton's research program aimed at protecting freedom of speech in cyberspace - note), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Hong Kong activist and founder of the Hong Kong Indigenous Ray Wong party.

Founder of Proton Andy Yen spoke about two key reasons why this exhibition is important:

- Firstly, because it is important to remember. We recently marked the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square tragedy in China, where some 10,000 students were killed. That event is now virtually erased from the collective memory of more than a billion people. It is displaced, forgotten, as if it never happened.That is why it is so important to create a space where activists can share their stories, talk about their struggles. And it is especially meaningful that this is happening within the walls of the European Parliament. Events like this remind us why we cannot afford to forget. Because tyranny triumphs when memory is silenced.The second reason why this event is so significant is that today we live at the intersection of technology and values. And it is no longer just a question of ideals or political views - it is also a question of economics, opportunities, strategic choices.

Andy Yen identified Europe's main advantage in the 21st century:

- It is not the ability to scale faster, like the Americans, or the art of copying, like China. Europe's true competitive advantage is our values.The US has become the largest exporter of what I call surveillance capitalism. It is a system that permeates our daily lives, our economy, our culture. In response, Europe must offer the world something different: privacy, freedom, democracy.

And now we have a unique opportunity before us. After all, more than 5 billion people - about 70% of the world's population - live in conditions of unfreedom and injustice. The world is in dire need of alternatives, and European value-based services are starting to gain more and more credibility. Journalists and companies are increasingly turning to European solutions because they are losing faith in American and Chinese platforms.But this opportunity can only be seized consciously. Europe must remember where it stands. And that means - when laws are created and decisions are made in these halls, we have a duty to remember those who will tell their stories here today. Because that is how we protect what makes us Europe.It is not only the defense of memory. It is a defense of the future, including the economic future, for the entire continent.Thank you all for coming today. I am honored to be here with those who defend freedom - in word, in action, in truth.