Proton has launched Proton Authenticator, a free standalone two-factor authentication (2FA) application for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.
2FA authenticator apps are offline tools that generate time-based one-time passwords (TOTPs) that expire every 30 seconds, and which can be used alongside passwords when logging into online accounts, providing the second factor authentication.
Proton is a Swiss technology company known for privacy-focused end-to-end encrypted services like Proton Mail (email), Proton VPN, Proton Drive (cloud storage), and Proton Pass (password manager).
The introduction of an Authenticator app complements the company's product portfolio and introduces a privacy-focused tool that stands out against competition that is largely closed-source, ad-supported, and locks users into proprietary ecosystems.
Instead, Proton Authenticator uses no ads, trackers, or vendor lock-in, and requires no Proton account.
"Proton Authenticator is built with the same values that power everything Proton does: privacy, transparency, and user-first security," reads the product launch announcement.
"The company is now bringing these standards to the 2FA space – offering a secure, easy-to-use, and encrypted alternative to apps like Google Authenticator that further lock users into Big Tech's surveillance ecosystems."
Comparison table
Source: Proton
The team stated that the app is also open-source, but it typically takes Proton a couple of weeks to release the source code of newly launched tools on GitHub, so we cannot confirm that yet.
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