DuckDuckGo launches new Email Protection service to remove trackers
Email trackers exist in more than 70 percent of mailing lists, according to a highly cited 2017 study. Once implemented, they let advertisers figure out when you open email, where you are when you open it, and which device you’re using. Removing trackers from email removes data points from lists building hidden advertising profiles on you, which have become a priority for privacy advocates in recent years.
Weinberg said that consumer research showed that asking people to switch to an entirely new email address and provider would be a tough pitch. So instead of creating a new email service, the Email Protection tool acts as an intermediary layer guarding access to your inbox.
“Our high-level goal is to make simple privacy protection available for everyone anywhere they are,” CEO Gabriel Weinberg tells The Verge. “So we’re trying to build this into any major browser or operating system or email provider you use.”
iPhone users might recognize the concept of a relay email address, a feature that Apple introduced with iOS 14 called Hide My Email. When signing up for an app through an Apple device, your iPhone can suggest a randomized Apple email address. Emails hit the random address, preventing the app from knowing your real email. In Apple’s iOS 15, the company is introducing similar features to confuse email trackers and protect privacy.
Weinberg explains that DuckDuckGo’s Email Protection is different than Apple’s offerings because it’s cross-platform, meaning you have a unified experience with disposable email addresses on mobile, desktop, iPhone, or Android.
See the full story here: https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/20/22576352/duckduckgo-email-protection-privacy-trackers-apple-alternative
