Email Privacy Debate

The cluster discusses the lack of inherent privacy in email, particularly when using third-party providers like Gmail, and debates alternatives such as self-hosting, encryption, or accepting no expectation of privacy.

📉 Falling 0.5x Security
4,902
Comments
19
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#5982
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2008
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2018
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Keywords

TOS pcmag.com highscalability.com US IMHO s.html HN thoughtcrime.org AUP SMTP email emails mail privacy private secured server encrypted servers expectation privacy

Sample Comments

phpisthebest Sep 28, 2022 View on HN

I dont view email has a "private" service in the first place, if you want privacy in communications use something other than email

vdfs Nov 12, 2022 View on HN

You shouldn't keep your emails too private.

niccaluim Feb 26, 2016 View on HN

Haven't such users already "given up" their privacy by having their email hosted by a third party?

rcme May 31, 2023 View on HN

Aren’t you disclosing your emails to third parties by using something like Gmail?

maigret Jan 14, 2011 View on HN

If that is your issue, then a better way is to have your own server, encrypt your emails and ask your contacts to do also. Once your mails are hosted once on a server, you can't know where you data goes and how long it stays there. One minute is more than enough to archive an email on a warehouse.

swaits Nov 4, 2011 View on HN

Store your plaintext email on someone else's server. Act surprised it's not private.

manigandham Mar 14, 2016 View on HN

Why? Email addresses are already public, what are you protecting here?

epistasis Feb 16, 2016 View on HN

That seems somewhat worse, they used private email on servers they did not control?

stoperaticless Jun 16, 2024 View on HN

Well, I don’t want anybody to get access to my emails.I understand that if they would spend any effort they could easily get access (via breaking my phone or bones), but I don’t want to voluntarily send over my emails.(Happy proton subbcriber; that would change if those allegations would appear true)

SilasX May 12, 2016 View on HN

So? You have no expectation of privacy in email anyway, right?