Switzerland-based Proton, the privacy-focused firm behind end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) webmail ProtonMail and other apps, has acquired Standard Notes, a note-taking app founded back in 2017. It offers the same kind of robust privacy promise to its 300,000+ users by also applying E2EE. In a press release announcing the move, Proton emphasized the pair’s “shared values,” including the use of E2EE; a commitment to open source technology; and how neither has relied upon venture capital to drive growth. E2EE is considered the gold standard of security technology, as service providers don’t hold encryption keys. This means they’re technically unable to decrypt user data, safeguarding users’ content behind a “zero knowledge” architecture. Put another way, you don’t have to trust the service provider not to snoop. By adding Standard Notes to its portfolio of apps, Proton will deepen its reach with an engaged community of pro-privacy users, layering on additional cross-selling opportunities as well as boosting the utility of its app ecosystem. The note-taking app fills an obvious gap in Proton’s current lineup.