So I don't believe we should criticize PM for their handling of this situation. We should criticize PM for lying to their customers.
Lying about what exactly? They chose switzerland because it has excellent civil and privacy protection, not because it’s a lawless hellscape, and they never hid that and that they were under swiss law.
Source for Switzerland being any better than other countries when it comes to human rights? A few examples come to mind that would suggest otherwise...
> not because it’s a lawless hellscape
How is protecting activists who try to change society for the better "a lawless hellscape"?
1) We're talking about Protonmail cooperating with a random foreign police (via request from their local police) without any form of judicial oversight. As a hosting provider with big money like Protonmail, the only fair thing to go is to go to court to have a judge examine the legality of the request in detail (not just as a friendly police request) before you collaborate at all with them.
2) We're talking about a bunch of anti-gentrification activists who requisitionned/squatted empty buildings to house homeless people and serve food for the neighborhood. Those buildings were owned by a landowning mafia which, as you can see, has long-reaching arms: when was the last time you heard of Europol/Interpol being involved in the repression of a squat that lasted a few months? This is a clear case of political repression, not any ordinary criminal case.
I believe the warrant had to be signed off on by a Swiss court.
You said there was no judicial oversight. That is false. The claim that Swiss judges want to stay cozy with law enforcement requires a lot more support.
> The claim that Swiss judges want to stay cozy with law enforcement requires a lot more support.
Unfortunately, there's very little serious studies of the corruption of the judicial system in the global north. There's massive scandals, but never wide anti-corruption schemes. You may be interested to read Michel Foucault's Discipline and Punish, which is a very serious examination of why "Justice is an independent power" is a gross misrepresentation at best.
What's that worth when your entire judicial apparatus is corrupt (doesn't respect separation of executive/judicial branches) and all it takes is asking nicely to get a request granted?
> my imagination fails to suggest what could serve as such oversight
Protonmail did not have a chance to defend itself before the judge, to face the alleged lies of the prosecution. You may consider that's still a form of judicial oversight, i don't.
> no possibility to challenge the order in court
Yes there is. Don't collaborate. Send a notification that you're waiting for a judge hearing. Wait for news. Either case is closed and you're good, or you get summoned to court and you can argue you have no criminal intent but strongly doubted the legality of the request.