"Proton analyzed over 54,000 demographic profiles using 2025 ad auction data to estimate what advertisers pay to reach different types of Americans. The price points for different users is stark."
"While the average user generates about $1,605 a year in advertising value, if you're 35 to 44 years of age, living in Bozeman without kids and using a desktop, that figure soars to $17,929.30."
"An 18- to 24-year-old father in Fort Smith, AR, using an Android phone and making low-value searches, generates $31.05. That's a 577x difference between two people using the same free service."
"The cost-per-click figures reflect live market rates drawn from aggregated, anonymized pricing data across active campaigns - what advertisers actually pay to reach these demographics in Google's auction system."
Gmail accounts are not free; they have a monetary value based on user demographics. A report by Proton reveals that the average user generates about $1,605 annually in advertising value. Specific demographics can significantly increase this value, with certain profiles reaching as high as $17,929.30. In contrast, lower-value profiles generate as little as $31.05. These figures reflect advertiser demand for access to user profiles, highlighting the lack of privacy when using free services like Gmail.
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