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Proton launched Lumo on Wednesday, a privacy-focused artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that encrypts conversations and refuses to train on user data, positioning itself as Europe’s answer to ChatGPT and other mainstream AI tools that harvest personal information.
The Swiss company, known for its encrypted email and VPN services, built Lumo to run entirely on European servers using open-source language models. Unlike ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini, Lumo stores chat histories only on users’ devices with “zero-access” encryption that even Proton cannot read.
“Big Tech is using AI to supercharge the collection of sensitive user data to accelerate the world’s transition to surveillance capitalism,” said Andy Yen, Proton’s CEO and founder. “Our vision for Lumo is AI that puts people ahead of profits.”
Lumo can summarize documents, generate code, and rewrite emails like other AI assistants. However, it disables web search by default to maximize privacy. When users enable the feature, queries route through what Proton calls “privacy-friendly” search engines.
The service runs on multiple open-source models, including Mistral’s Nemo and Nvidia’s OpenHands 32B. Programming questions automatically route to OpenHands, which specializes in coding tasks. The system differs from proprietary models developed by OpenAI and Google, which keep their training methods secret.
Source: Proton
The timing reflects growing European concerns about American and Chinese AI dominance. Proton operates under Swiss law, outside the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. The company plans to invest over €100 million in EU infrastructure as Switzerland considers new surveillance proposals.
“Lumo represents one of many investments Proton will be making before the end of the decade to ensure that Europe stays strong, independent, and technologically sovereign,” wrote Eamonn Maguire, Proton’s machine learning lead, in an announcement blog.
Users can access Lumo for free at lumo.proton.me or through mobile apps without creating an account. Free users receive 25 questions weekly, with no chat history, while Proton account holders get 100 weekly queries plus encrypted chat storage. Lumo Plus costs $12.99 monthly for unlimited chats and large file uploads.
Also available is a “Ghost Mode” that permanently deletes conversations when the app is closed. File uploads integrate with Proton Drive’s end-to-end encryption. Documents remain private during analysis.
Proton targets professionals handling sensitive information, like journalists, lawyers, and activists, in need of AI assistance without privacy risks. Moreover, the company became a nonprofit in 2024, reinforcing its commitment to user privacy over profit.
European regulators have increasingly scrutinized American tech companies over data practices. Lumo’s European hosting ensures compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules while avoiding jurisdictions with weaker data protection standards.
The service initially supports English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian, with additional languages planned. Proton also released Lumo’s complete source code for public inspection and transparency.
