Today we would like to introduce you to a company from Germany that has dedicated itself to the mission of establishing data protection for basic services such as e-mail, calendar and contacts. How does it work and who is behind it? Find out in this interview with Tuta from Hanover.
Interview
What was the idea behind the founding of Tuta?
Our vision from the outset was to make digital communication more secure and private. After all, data protection is often neglected on the Internet and secure tools (such as PGP) are too complicated for most people to use. That’s why we wanted to create a solution that encrypts emails from the ground up – without users having to do anything. We realized that traditional email services are convenient, but often not secure. That’s why we developed Tuta Mail, a platform that integrates end-to-end encryption by default to protect the privacy of our users. And best of all, we can continuously develop and improve the encryption – without the user having to do anything. Last year, for example, we published a quantum-safe encryption protocol for emails. Tuta users now benefit from double, hybrid encryption with proven algorithms and quantum-safe algorithms – and it’s all very simple!
What is the background of your team?
Our team consists of experienced developers, cryptographers and security experts. We are united by a passion for open source and data protection and together we fight for more privacy online.
Our team is as diverse as the open source world itself! We are an international team that brings together people from different cultures and backgrounds. We welcome everyone who wants to fight for privacy with us! Honesty, solidarity and a strong sense of values are the foundation of our work. We believe in open source because transparency is the basis of real security. Together we fight for a free and private Internet – without surveillance, without backdoors. With our expertise in IT security and cryptography, we develop solutions that give people worldwide their digital freedom back.
What prompted you to tackle the topic of e-mail as a product?
Email is still the most important means of communication – even though emails have been declared “dead” several times. The number of e-mails sent is increasing every year, especially in the business environment, but also in the private sphere, e.g. for online registrations: E-mail is here to stay.
One reason for this is the open system of emails: everyone can communicate with everyone, regardless of which platform is used. This is not the case with Slack or Signal. However, this open email setup is also precisely the problem: it is extremely complicated to secure emails, as everyone uses a different system, a different provider – and, if available, a different encryption solution.
In the past, this was not a big issue and so most email services were not developed with security in mind. We realized back in 2011 that there was a big gap between the desire for privacy and the solutions that were available on the market – and which are still the most widely used providers today: Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo. These providers are all not secure enough and do not offer confidential communication. Tuta Mail is definitely the better alternative. Our goal was and is to create an email platform that is both easy to use and maximally secure. With our built-in end-to-end encryption and two-factor authentication available on all clients, we have more than succeeded.
What sets you apart from other providers in Germany when it comes to data protection?
Data protection is our top priority. Unlike many other providers, we rely on genuine end-to-end encryption and zero-access encryption right from the start. This means that not even we as the provider have access to our users’ emails or calendar entries.
However, the issue of data protection goes much further for us: we would never compromise on this and therefore do not use any Google services – not even Google Push for our email app for Android. Our competitors are much less squeamish in this respect, but this shows that maximum data protection can only be achieved if the entire team is passionate about the topic. We make sure of this at Tuta, because if we promise the user maximum security and the best data protection, we have to meet – or even exceed – these expectations. This is not always easy, as we have to invest more in development in order to build our own privacy-friendly solutions, but it pays off for the user. With Tuta, data cannot be spied on. That’s what we stand for and that’s what we work for.
In addition, ALL of our apps are published as open source – which is not 100% the case with our biggest competitor. But this is crucial, because only with open source can third parties check whether the encryption is working properly.
As our company is based in Germany, we are also subject to the strict data protection laws of the EU and do not store any unnecessary user data. We even go so far as to store as little data as possible; it is also possible to register an e-mail account completely anonymously. All you have to enter is the desired e-mail address and a password; you do not have to enter a cell phone number or your real name.
What does a typical working day at Tuta look like?
A typical working day at Tuta is strongly characterized by collaboration. The day usually starts with a stand-up meeting of the respective teams to discuss current topics, challenges and progress before we get into the actual work. Through intensive pair programming, our developers work together on new functions and security improvements. In line with the principle of four-eyes-see-more-than-two, we ensure that no errors or security gaps arise and at the same time pass on knowledge and experience to each other – which benefits the entire team. This also promotes our cohesion as a team and our constant striving for even better security and user-friendliness.
What plans do you have for the future that you can already reveal to us and our readers?
Our mission is to develop the most secure communication solution in the world. We’ve already achieved a lot in this regard: encrypted emails, encrypted contacts, encrypted calendars – all with quantum-resistant algorithms. But there is still a lot to do. For example, we are now working on making quantum-safe encryption even more secure with key verification.
But that’s not all: we are delighted to announce that we are already working on Tuta Drive – our own quantum-safe encrypted solution for files! This will take our expertise in data protection and security to the next level and enable files to be stored and shared just as securely as emails.
We have many more plans for the future: We are planning further innovations in encryption, new security features and more products to provide a complete alternative to insecure big tech services, both for individuals and businesses. Stay tuned!
And here is space for everything you’ve always wanted to say or write 🙂
Privacy should not be a luxury. It is a fundamental right. Our goal is to create a digital world where people can communicate freely and securely – without surveillance and without the threat of data kraken.
We invite everyone to join our mission by supporting open source technologies and standing up for their digital privacy. Together we will make the internet a better, safer place!
Many thanks to the lovely team at Tuta for these insights. Let’s drive change together!
