CONCEAL YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
Use a disposable email address
You almost always need to provide your email address when you register with a website - unless you sign in using Google or Facebook - so it can confirm who you are and potentially pester you with marketing messages. The easiest way to avoid handing over this personal information – and safeguard your other accounts against data breaches – is to use a fake address from a disposable-email service. Use your fake address when signing up, then click the link in the confirmation message that arrives in your alternative inbox and you’ll gain access to the site without compromising your privacy.
There are dozens of temporary email services to choose from, though ironically some ask you to register using your real email address. One of the simplest is Guerrilla Mail ( www.snipca.com/40345), which gives you an instant free fake address, a choice of domains and the ability to send messages from your temporary account, including file attachments of up to 150MB.
Even better is Temp Mail ( www.snipca. com/40301 – see screenshot above right), which saves you having to visit its website each time you need a disposable address or to check your inbox. Instead, you can use its extension for Chromium browsers ( www.snipca.com/40302) and Firefox ( www.snipca.com/40303) to generate fake email addresses on the fly, and either auto-fill or copy and paste them. It also has free apps for Android ( www.snipca. com/40304) and IOS ( www.snipca. com/40305). For extra security, Temp Mail addresses can be set to self-destruct after 10 minutes, reducing the risk of someone intercepting your messages.
Set up a forwarding email address
The main drawback with disposable email addresses is that you can’t retrieve important messages - such as those containing account or order details - if you need them later. One solution is to use a service that lets you create an alternative email address, then forwards replies to your usual inbox – without revealing your true identity.
In our Workshop in Issue 621 (page 38), we explained how to use Mozilla’s new Firefox Relay service ( https://relay.firefox. com) to set up email aliases that forward messages to your main email address. Another option is Email Protection from the privacy-focused search engine Duckduckgo ( www.snipca.com/40307). This free service works in a similar way, but also removes trackers from forwarded messages, so senders can’t see when and where you opened them.
Email Protection is currently in beta, but you can join the waiting list through the free Duckduckgo Privacy Browser app for Android ( www.snipca.com/40309) and IOS ( www.snipca.com/40308) – open Settings, tap Email Protection and select ‘Join the Private Waitlist’. Once you’re in, tap Get Started and follow the instructions to create your unique ‘@ duck.com’ email address and link your real one (see screenshot below). Any messages sent to your ‘duck’ address will be forwarded to your usual inbox with all trackers removed. You can also generate random private addresses in the app, to avoid sharing your ‘duck’ one.