How to protect your email privacy¶
Emails often contain hidden tracking tools and metadata that reveal more than you might expect—including whether you opened a message, your location, and even your device details. Here’s how to keep your email activity private.
Choose a privacy-focused email provider¶
Not all email services treat your data the same way. For maximum privacy:
ProtonMail (Switzerland-based) – Automatically strips metadata, encrypts emails, and doesn’t track your activity. Free accounts available.
Tutanota (Germany) – Offers end-to-end encryption and no third-party tracking.
Skiff (Privacy-focused alternative) – Encrypted and open-source, with aliases to hide your real address.
Avoid services like Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo that scan emails for advertising and data profiling.
Stop senders from tracking you¶
Many companies embed invisible “tracking pixels” in emails to see:
When you opened the email
Your approximate location
What device you’re using
How to block email tracking:
Disable “Load external images” – In Gmail, Outlook, or Apple Mail, turn this off in settings to prevent tracking pixels from loading.
Use a tracker blocker – Browser extensions like PixelBlock (for Gmail) or TrackerControl detect and block email spies.
Read emails in “plain text” mode – Some clients let you view emails without loading tracking elements.
Remove metadata before forwarding or downloading¶
If you need to share an email, it might contain hidden metadata (like sender IP addresses or timestamps). To clean it:
On desktop: Copy-paste the text into a new email or document.
For attachments: Use ExifTool (command line) or Metadata Cleaner (GUI tool) to scrub files before sending.
Use burner or alias emails for sign-ups¶
Instead of giving out your real email:
SimpleLogin or AnonAddy – Create instant aliases that forward to your main inbox.
ProtonMail’s “+aliases” – Add extra words to your address (e.g., yourname+shop@protonmail.com) to filter and block spam.
Temporary emails – For one-time sign-ups, use Temp-Mail.org or Guerrilla Mail.
Secure your account from snooping¶
Even private emails can be exposed if your account is compromised:
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) – Use an authenticator app (like Authy) instead of SMS.
Check for suspicious logins – Most providers show recent activity; review it regularly.
Use a strong, unique password – A password manager (Bitwarden, KeePass) helps generate and store them securely.
Be wary of phishing & scams¶
Some emails try to trick you into revealing personal data. Red flags:
Urgent demands (e.g., “Your account will be closed!”)
Mismatched sender addresses (hover over links before clicking)
Requests for passwords or payment details
When in doubt, contact the company directly instead of clicking links.
Encrypt sensitive emails¶
For highly confidential messages:
ProtonMail & Tutanota have built-in encryption.
PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) – Advanced users can manually encrypt emails with tools like GPG Suite.
By following these steps, you’ll significantly reduce how much of your email activity is monitored, sold, or exposed to hackers.