Once again, from the bottom up: big data doesn't feed itself. All kinds of algorithms operate in the background to create user profiles and identify preferences, and this process also extends to emails, which in most cases include hidden trackers. DuckDuckGo announced its Email Protection project with the goal of eliminating those trackers using an email forwarding system, and in recent days it entered public beta, so anyone interested can try it for free.
Email tracking is a reality. Some companies only want to know if we click on them, but the problem is and will be the lack of transparency. We have previously talked about resources like Trocker, which exposes these trackers with a small icon and blocks them at opening. However, there are other initiatives like DuckDuckGo's Email Protection, which has just left its private beta and is now available to everyone.
How DuckDuckGo Email Protection Works
The first step is install the official extension compatible with Firefox, Google Chrome and other Chromium flavors. Then we create a new personal email address with the @duck.com domain, which will serve as a “man in the middle” or “filter” so to speak: if you trust a service but want to eliminate potential trackers in its emails, you can use that @duck account to receive them, and the system will automatically forward them to your real inbox with all its trackers stripped.
Another alternative is to generate private accounts with random names to prevent online services from building a user profile. These accounts work the same way as the personal @duck address, but can be deactivated much faster if we start receiving spam or other unwanted messages.
Finally, DuckDuckGo Email Protection extends user protection with three additional functions: link tracking blocking (this adds to blocking trackers by scripts, images, isolated pixels and other multimedia resources), automatic HTTPS encryption for all the links we receive, and replying to emails directly from the @duck address, avoiding our personal email completely.
DuckDuckGo Email Protection is also available for mobile devices through its Privacy Browser on iOS and Android. It all sounds good, but at the end of the day Email Protection requires placing our trust in DuckDuckGo. The company swears it will never read or store the emails that pass through its forwarding system, and judging by the number of users who have already joined the project, it seems to be doing a good job.
Official announcement: Click here
