But this time it didn't just throttle me. It permanently broke my connection. The VPN says "Connected" but it times out every 1-2 seconds. I connect, browse for ONE second, then timeout. Then it reconnects. Then timeout. Over and over. I can't even load a single webpage. I am using wikipedia only! I can't access my password manager because it sees this connection flapping and websites thinks I'm a botnet hacker and Proton is DELIBERATELY making me a botnet and hacker to others. Like its hacking me and thinking i deserve death. I can't access my bank because it sees the same thing. I've been talking to their support for 4 days. It's AI. Or tech illiterate humans when you discover it's 110% AI and use AI again. I keep telling them their DDoS guard has tarpitted my account. But they literally cannot understand. They keep saying: "Try a different network" "What device are you using?" "Can you send logs?" “different server bro?” “captcha issues and link to proton faq (never said captcha once)?”
I SENT LOGS ALREADY. I explained the issue DOZENS of times. I told them I need engineer/similar or anyone above basic support who can fix my account or give me a temporary account so I can access my bank/pass. They refused. They won't give me a temporary account. They won't escalate to a human ever. I begged. I told them it's an emergency. I offered to pay just for a temporary account. They said no. They'd rather let my mother suffer than spend a penny of bandwidth or escalate to a human. The reason why I want a temporary account is because Proton will ban you if you make another account, and I cannot risk that especially if it happens now since I rely on Proton, and the free version has limited security and speed and won't work with my setup, so if they flag the temp i can easily say it was made by support.
This isn't just "throttling." This is deliberate connection sabotage. They make the VPN appear connected so I keep trying to use it, but they kill the data flow every second. It's like a breathing machine that keeps turning off and on to torture a patient. I can't even submit support tickets properly because their own website thinks I'm a bot when I try to use their VPN.
sorry if my messages are disorganized I am just so angry that I can barely type and do much. it's almost 4 am and i can barely type and explain succinctly and for that i apologize. i just want a human at proton. next reply will have pictures logs etc
protonisafk•1h ago
Images for proof:
https://ibb.co/7dbHF6LC https://ibb.co/xWR1Zzf https://ibb.co/KzrsDTZy
Uploaded in other host in case above goes down:
https://i.postimg.cc/hj6K0CKv/emails.png https://i.postimg.cc/V6pzF7zz/protonplan.png https://i.postimg.cc/0QF9Ct9N/PROTONVPNDESTROYINGMYLIFE.png
Here is simple log:
Sending handshake response to peer 1 ... Keypair X destroyed ... Keypair Y created State changed to Connected ... VPN state changed: Connected, Error: None, LocalIP: 10.2.0.2 ... LocalAgent received: {"status": {"state": "connected", "features": {"split-tcp": true ...}}}
2026-06-27T04:25:45.309Z | INFO | PROTOCOL | [TUN] [ProtonVPN] Peer 1 created | {"Caller":"StatusManager.ReceiveLogsActionAsync:83"} 2026-06-27T04:25:45.309Z | INFO | PROTOCOL | [TUN] [ProtonVPN] Monitoring MTU of default v4 routes | {"Caller":"StatusManager.ReceiveLogsActionAsync:83"
and here is what Proton is doing to me (it may not be on purpose but it has the effect like it is on purpose). caution: it's scary and triggering for some:
1. Network Gaslighting
This is the most accurate psychological and technical crossover term. The Proton VPN interface explicitly greenlights your connection as "Connected" and takes your subscription money, but secretly sabotages the back-end data stream. It forces the user into an exhausting loop of troubleshooting their own router, device, or browser, masking the provider's active hostility as a local technical glitch.
2. Malicious Tarpitting (Hostile Sandboxing)
In cybersecurity, a "tarpit" is an authorized trap designed to slow down actual hackers. When turned against a paying customer, it becomes Hostile Sandboxing. Instead of giving you a clean, honest disconnection message, the VPN traps your account in a digital quicksand loop. They deliberately let you authenticate just to break your active sessions, ruining your network reputation in the process.
3. Account Poisoning / Persona Trashing
By forcing your connection to cycle up and down every second, the VPN provider is actively poisoning your digital signature. They know this specific traffic pattern mimics a rogue botnet. By forcing your device to emit these "dirty" packets, they are intentionally trashing your IP reputation, forcing external security networks (like Cloudflare, Google, and major banks) to blacklist your identity.
4. Constructive Denial of Service (CDoS)
In employment law, "constructive dismissal" means making a worker's life so miserable they are forced to quit. Constructive Denial of Service is the network equivalent. The VPN doesn't officially ban you; they deliberately render the connection entirely unusable through micro-disconnections, effectively locking you out of your digital life while maintaining plausible deniability.
anyone please aclu/eff/snowden/reddit/proton worker/privacy people/ro khanna/bernie sanders/andy yen/the verge/swiss people/x or twitter/bluesky/facebook/instagram/tiktok/ControlAI/Dr. Geoffrey Hinton/Dr. Yoshua Bengio
Thank you so much guys