Lumo: Privacy-first AI assistant

Feature set, UX, and accessibility

• Early complaints: no dark mode, seemingly English-only, and paywalled “Pro” tier despite “Unlimited” plans.
• Other users report UI localization and working conversations in several languages (French, German, etc.).
• Dark theme is framed not just as aesthetics but as an accessibility requirement for people with eye conditions. Some suggest using browser extensions as a workaround.
• Lumo is not an “agent” (can’t act across services), so assistant-style scenarios like scheduling are seen as unrealistic expectations by some.

Model choice and quality

• Lumo runs several open-source models (Nemo, OpenHands 32B, OLMO 2 32B, Mistral Small 3) on Proton-controlled servers.
• Some see this as underpowered versus state-of-the-art (Claude 3.5, DeepSeek V3/R1, Qwen 235B, etc.) and describe answers as weaker than mainstream models or even local setups.
• Others argue there is clear demand for a privacy-first assistant, especially for enterprises unwilling to trust Copilot/OpenAI with internal data.

Privacy model, jurisdiction, and trust

• Proton emphasizes “servers we control” and no third-party model vendors; contrasted to Kagi, which uses external LLM providers.
• Comparisons to Apple’s Private Cloud Compute: some say Apple’s design and auditability are more rigorous; others dismiss Apple as “privacy theater.”
• Proton’s move of infrastructure out of Switzerland due to proposed mass surveillance laws sparks debate: some claim jurisdictional protection was always oversold; others see it as a serious privacy signal.
• Skeptics note Proton has previously complied with court orders (e.g., IP data in Proton Mail cases) and that “no logs” and “trust us” are inherently hard to verify.

Open source and transparency confusion

• Marketing text claims Lumo’s code is “fully open source,” but commenters cannot find any repository; some call this “openwashing.”
• One user asked Lumo itself and got a (likely hallucinated) answer that Lumo is proprietary while its models are open source.
• The wording on Proton pages appears to have changed, increasing confusion about what, if anything, is actually open source.

Censorship and content filtering

• Reports that Lumo initially refuses to answer about Tiananmen Square as a “sensitive political topic,” citing local-law compliance.
• Other users get full historical answers after pushing back or disabling web search, suggesting inconsistent behavior, possibly across models or sessions.
• Commenters highlight the broader problem of opaque, shifting filters in LLMs and the difficulty for users who can’t detect omissions or hallucinations.

Product strategy and ecosystem concerns

• Many long-time Proton users feel core products (Drive, Docs, Sheets-like tools, VPN, Linux clients, Standard Notes integration) remain half-baked while resources go into AI.
• Others counter that AI assistants have huge demand (ChatGPT-like usage) and Proton just needs a profitable niche, not market domination.
• Mixed sentiment: some are pleased a privacy-focused AI exists and plan to use it; others intend to ignore it until it matches mainstream models and Proton stabilizes its existing suite.