Free lifetime access
At-risk access program
Free lifetime access to Safety Checkpoint for the people who need it most and can least afford to be exposed: journalists, sources, human rights defenders, and anyone working under threat.
Or write tosecurity-safety-checkpoint@proton.me
We answer within 7 days. There is no application form: nothing about your request enters the product.
What Safety Checkpoint does
Safety Checkpoint is a scheduled check-in system. As long as you keep to the rhythm you set, nothing happens. If you miss a check-in, the contacts you chose are alerted automatically. With their PIN, they open the emergency package you prepared in advance (message, files, instructions, optionally a position you added). It is built for situations where you cannot call for help yourself: detention, accident, disappearance.
See how it works for the full picture.
Who this is for
- Journalists, staff or freelance, and their sources
- Human rights defenders and activists
- NGO, humanitarian and civil society workers
- Anyone under documented threat because of their work or situation
We review each request case by case. You do not need to prove danger beyond reasonable context: a press card, published work, a referral from a newsroom or an NGO, or a short explanation of your situation is enough for us to assess.
What you get
- The full Lifetime plan, free of charge
- No card, no renewal, no expiry
- Every feature, including a message encrypted for each contact and file attachments
Program accounts are regular accounts: same product, same infrastructure, same support as every paying customer.
Before you rely on the encryption, know what it is. Your message is encrypted for each contact and opens only with their PIN, but it is not end-to-end. Our servers handle your content to encrypt it and to deliver alerts. End-to-end encryption is planned for a future version, and we are working on it. The security page has the details.
How to apply
Create a free account
On Safety Checkpoint, or use the one you already have.
Write to us
Send the email address your account uses, two or three lines of context, and any supporting element: press card, published work, or a referral from a newsroom or NGO.
We answer within 7 days
If granted, your account is upgraded to Lifetime. Nothing else changes.
The address is security-safety-checkpoint@proton.me.
If your situation is sensitive, write from a personal mailbox rather than a work one, ideally with a provider you trust. The application mailbox is hosted on Proton. If you write from a Proton address yourself, the exchange stays encrypted between mailboxes.
Applying leaves no trace in the product
This program is designed so that applying does not itself create a record that could expose you:
- There is no application form in the app. Applications happen over email only, so nothing about your request enters our product database.
- Supporting documents are deleted once a decision is made. We keep no list of beneficiaries and no copy of your justification.
- Granted accounts carry no special marker: no flag or note records why the account is on Lifetime.
An email exchange still exists in the program mailbox until we delete it. If it matters to your safety, write from an address that does not identify you or your employer.
Ready to apply?
One email is enough. And if you want to understand how we protect your data first, our security page explains what we do, and what we do not promise.