Guides
- Anonymous email: what it really is
Temporary inboxes, anonymous senders, email without a phone number. Why email is never fully anonymous, and what gives you away: IP, payment, recovery address.
- Email metadata: what it reveals about you
Who, to whom, when and from where: email metadata stays visible even with encryption. What it includes, what it reveals, and how to leave less of it.
- Email security glossary
Short definitions of email security terms: end-to-end and zero-access encryption, PGP, TLS, metadata, passkeys, phishing and more, with links to full guides.
- How email encryption works
Encrypted email can mean four things: TLS in transit, encryption at rest, zero-access or end-to-end. Who holds the keys, and who can read your mail.
- How email tracking pixels work, and how to block them
A tracking pixel tells the sender you opened an email. How it works, how to block it in Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail and Thunderbird, and what blocking can't do.
- How to protect your email from hacking
Your email unlocks almost every other account. How to protect it: password, second factor, breach checks. And what to do, step by step, if it has been hacked.
- How to recover access to your email
How to get back into Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo or Proton Mail without your password or phone: each provider's own steps, and what to set up in advance.
- How to send an encrypted email
How to encrypt an email in Thunderbird, in webmail, in Outlook and Gmail, or send a password-protected file. What each way protects, and where it stops.
- How to spot a phishing email
Phishing pretends to come from your bank, a service or a friend. The signs that give it away, how to check an email and its links, and what to do after a click.
- How to unsubscribe from emails safely
Clicking unsubscribe tells the sender your address is active. When to unsubscribe, when to report spam, and how in Gmail, Yandex Mail and Mail.ru.
- Open-source email: what you can check, and what you can't
What open source means for an email app, webmail and a mail server, how to tell if your app is built from the published code, and what open code doesn't prove.
- Temporary email, alias or private inbox?
A temporary email lasts minutes, an alias hides your real address, a private inbox stays with you for years. How they differ and when to use each.
- Tor email: what an onion address hides and what it doesn't
What an onion email address is, what using email over Tor hides from your provider and from people watching your connection, and what it doesn't hide.
- What is an email alias?
An email alias is a separate address that forwards mail to your inbox. How it works, when it helps, what it hides from websites, and what it doesn't.
- What is end-to-end encryption?
End-to-end encryption in plain words: who holds the keys, how it differs from encryption in transit, and what stays visible even in an encrypted email.
- What is PGP?
PGP and OpenPGP in plain words: keys, signatures, fingerprints, how PGP differs from S/MIME, what it does not hide, and how to start using it.
- What is post-quantum encryption?
How a future quantum computer threatens today's encryption, what harvest now, decrypt later means, and how hybrid post-quantum encryption protects email.
- What is zero-access encryption?
Zero-access encryption: a provider stores your email encrypted with a key it doesn't have. How it differs from end-to-end encryption, and how to check it.
- Which email is the most secure?
No email provider is the most secure for everyone, but you can check any of them yourself. 17 questions on encryption, your data, account security and honesty.