Proton launches ‘Born Private’ email address reservation program

Proton has introduced a new feature that allows parents to reserve private email addresses for their children years before they begin using them.

The initiative, called “Born Private,” is positioned as an effort to give children a privacy-focused digital identity before they enter mainstream online ecosystems dominated by large technology companies.

The company says the program is intended to address growing concerns about the early creation of online identities and the collection of children’s data by major email providers and associated services.

According to Proton, email accounts are increasingly required at a young age as children interact with school platforms, games, messaging tools, and other online services. In a survey conducted by the company, 43% of children under 18 already have a personal email address, and 74% of those accounts are hosted on Gmail.

Proton argues that the email service chosen early in life can become a long-term digital identifier, shaping how user data is tracked, analyzed, and monetized over time. The company claims many mainstream email services rely on data collection practices that may include tracking pixels embedded in emails, metadata collection, and behavioral analysis tied to advertising systems or AI training.

Proton Mail uses end-to-end encryption and a zero-access architecture, meaning the company states it cannot read the contents of users’ emails. The service is also open source, allowing external researchers to audit its code, and operates under Swiss privacy laws, which are generally stricter than those in many other jurisdictions.

Because email addresses frequently become long-term login identifiers, the first account created for a child can follow them for decades, linking activity across services and devices. Proton frames the Born Private initiative as an attempt to shift that starting point toward a privacy-preserving platform rather than one tied to advertising-driven ecosystems.

How the reservation system works

Under the Born Private program, parents can reserve an email address for a child and keep it inactive for up to 15 years. Proton says the reserved inbox remains unused and contains no stored messages, activity logs, or user data until it is activated.

When the child is ready to use the account, the parent activates it using a secure voucher system. If the voucher is lost, Proton says it can be reissued.

The reservation process requires a small donation starting at $1, which Proton says helps support the Proton Foundation, the organization behind the company’s privacy advocacy efforts.

The company also says the system is designed to prevent abuse, such as large-scale reservation of addresses for resale or spam campaigns.

While reserving email addresses at privacy-respecting platforms is good, children should also be taught to use strong, unique passwords, enable two-factor authentication to protect their accounts, limit the number of services connected to that account, and regularly review privacy and security settings.