5 ms·

Firefox Private Relay: Generate unique, random, anonymous email addresses

38 points by dstaley 6y ago

dstaley 6y ago
It looks like this is currently in a private alpha, but the code is all open source. [1] When Apple introduced something similar, I really wished that someone else would provide something similar. I'm glad to see Mozilla is gearing up to offer this. My main worry, though, is longevity. What happens when you sign up using a generated email address, and then Mozilla decides to shutter the service? You'd likely lose access to that email, and wouldn't be able to log into your accounts anymore. Thankfully Mozilla respects users enough that they'd probably offer ample notice so that you could change your email address. [1] https://github.com/mozilla/fx-private-relay https://github.com/mozilla/fx-private-relay
leshokunin 6y ago
Do we know why the Firefox addon? I understand how this can work as a relay service (kind of how Craigslist generates a unique email for each thread), but I don't see the point of the addon.
- dstaley 6y ago
  I don't think the addon is necessary. From the source it looks like it just makes it really easy to generate and autofill a new relay address.
Farfromthehood 6y ago
It would still be a privacy issue for me. Mozilla would still have my real address tied to my account, and there's no mention of encryption of email content or the anonymous generated email addresses. Still...It's a great step in the right direction!
achecouter 6y ago
SimpleLogin [1] already does that and their aliases are more powerful. It's also open-source [2], can be self-hosted, and covers almost all platforms. The Firefox relay seems to need SocketLabs [3], a paying and closed-source service. Haven't got my invite code yet but I would not bet on this Firefox service. [1] https://simplelogin.io https://simplelogin.io [2] https://github.com/simple-login/app https://github.com/simple-login/app [3] https://www.socketlabs.com/ https://www.socketlabs.com/
- m3Lith 6y ago
  Nice to see services like these. I've been using AnonAddy [1] myself for a few months now. [1] https://anonaddy.com https://anonaddy.com

38 points by dstaley 6y ago

It looks like this is currently in a private alpha, but the code is all open source. [1] When Apple introduced something similar, I really wished that someone else would provide something similar. I'm glad to see Mozilla is gearing up to offer this. My main worry, though, is longevity. What happens when you sign up using a generated email address, and then Mozilla decides to shutter the service? You'd likely lose access to that email, and wouldn't be able to log into your accounts anymore. Thankfully Mozilla respects users enough that they'd probably offer ample notice so that you could change your email address. [1] https://github.com/mozilla/fx-private-relay https://github.com/mozilla/fx-private-relay

leshokunin 6y ago

Do we know why the Firefox addon? I understand how this can work as a relay service (kind of how Craigslist generates a unique email for each thread), but I don't see the point of the addon.

dstaley 6y ago
I don't think the addon is necessary. From the source it looks like it just makes it really easy to generate and autofill a new relay address.

Farfromthehood 6y ago

It would still be a privacy issue for me. Mozilla would still have my real address tied to my account, and there's no mention of encryption of email content or the anonymous generated email addresses. Still...It's a great step in the right direction!

achecouter 6y ago

SimpleLogin [1] already does that and their aliases are more powerful. It's also open-source [2], can be self-hosted, and covers almost all platforms. The Firefox relay seems to need SocketLabs [3], a paying and closed-source service. Haven't got my invite code yet but I would not bet on this Firefox service. [1] https://simplelogin.io https://simplelogin.io [2] https://github.com/simple-login/app https://github.com/simple-login/app [3] https://www.socketlabs.com/ https://www.socketlabs.com/

m3Lith 6y ago
Nice to see services like these. I've been using AnonAddy [1] myself for a few months now. [1] https://anonaddy.com https://anonaddy.com