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Maybe the real story is "DuckDuckGo Email Protection" [1]? I must've missed this one when it came out. > Get a free, personal @duck.com email address. Emails

Maybe the real story is "DuckDuckGo Email Protection" [1]? I must've missed this one when it came out. > Get a free, personal @duck.com email address. Emails sent to it will forward to your regular inbox, with creepy email trackers removed. Totally genius! I fear there will be a cat-and-mouse-game but hopefully DDG will keep relatively up to date. [1] https://www.spreadprivacy.com/introducing-email-protection-beta/ https://www.spreadprivacy.com/introducing-email-protection-b...

greenyoda 5y ago
It was easy to miss - got posted to HN several times a few months ago, but never got much traction: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&query=duckduckgo%20email%20protection&sort=byDate&type=story https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...
- Operyl 5y ago
  Never got an invite, lost interest. Apple's product seems just as good to me.
- crossroadsguy 5y ago
  I think they kept it free, had an invite system that gave invite no one ever. Tried twice then out of mind, out of sight. Basically it seems like a gimmick or app-download-bait.
  - cinntaile 5y ago
    I received my invite a while back. Maybe 2 months ago?
    - crossroadsguy 5y ago
      I didn’t get. Kept the app installed for about two months. Was still waiting for beta access when I uninstalled it. I never used the app as browser or anything. Neither gave it notification permission. Maybe that was the reason.
      - cinntaile 5y ago
        I signed up on a waiting list, I don't use the app.
        crossroadsguy 5y ago
        I am not aware of any waiting list for this service other than installing the DDG app and signing up for the waiting list via app settings. I had searched around. It seemed that was the only way. At least by DDG officially.
  - rsync 5y ago
    Wait - why would you need an app for this ? This interface is a half page web form, right ? Right ?
    - greenyoda 5y ago
      Right. I use two other e-mail forwarding services, and neither one requires an app or a browser extension - they're controlled through simple web interfaces. While I'm a happy user of DDG's search engine, their e-mail service is not something I'd use.
lysium 5y ago
This sounds a lot like ‚hide my email‘ by Apple. I’m still concerned what is happening with my data. With apple, I believe the illusion that it’s not necessary for them to sell my data. Do we have similar insights about duck, besides our believe they won’t sell our data?
- wyldfire 5y ago
  I mean -- in a similar way to Apple, it's how they want you to see their brand. So no guarantees but it would be shortsighted of them to sell the info somehow. Definitely possible but I'm optimistic that they wouldn't.
- gnicholas 5y ago
  That's a fair concern. I just went to sign up now (apparently my invite was ready but the app hadn't notified me yet), and there's a section that promises their privacy protections will not be weakened by an acquisition: > We will not allow an ownership change to weaken these privacy guarantees. DuckDuckGo (officially Duck Duck Go, Inc.) is a privately held, independent company, and has been since its founding in 2008. If we are ever acquired by another organization, or if another organization purchases this service, we will email you with details. However, we will not proceed with any deal that weakens these Privacy Guarantees. As a (former) lawyer, I'd say that this provision is something I've considered necessary for a business to make a credible promise not to sell out at a later date. I have never seen such a provision before, and it makes me feel more confident that they've thought this stuff through and are willing to be held to their promises.
  - tommica 5y ago
    Well, once they get acquired with the promise that _privacy guarantees are not weakened_, what stops the acquirer from weakening them a year later? Just like Facebook and Oculus.
    - gnicholas 5y ago
      DDG would have to put teeth in their acquisition agreement such that doing so would result in an enormous surcharge or some such thing. They could also make a huge stink publicly, which would result in a mass exodus from their service, making such a move less lucrative for the acquirer. But yeah, there's always a chance that these protections will go away. That's why it's important that they don't keep data right now, so if anything changes later you can just stop using the service (assuming you check HN daily so you'd know if anything was up!).
tejtm 5y ago
Step 1) Download DuckDuckGo for iOS or Android err no. I love DDG and have run web search through them since they started, there are great But I already have mail clients I use and they are not for for hand held computers owned by by G or A.
- jazzyjackson 5y ago
  Basically the invite to a fresh trendy email address (I'm trying to get a short username over here!) is bait to download the app, the app is not necessary to use the service I just downloaded it and think I'll enjoy it if it doesn't have the browsing quirks of firefox, it has a great "inferno" animation when you hit the button to close all tabs and delete history. Works with my password manager, promises to block trackers, meh, why not?
- FabHK 5y ago
  DuckDuckGo for iOS or Android is not an email client, but a web browser. The "join the waitlist for a free protected email" thingy is just an item in the settings.
pmoriarty 5y ago
Fastmail has a "masked email" feature, which will forward emails sent to (potentially temporary) email addresses to your regular email account. So will SpamGourmet[2]. Of course the problem with all these services is that you're giving yet another third party access to your communication and giving up your privacy to them. They are all, as far as I know, completely unaccountable regarding what they do with the information they get from your private communication. No matter what they say in their privacy policies, press releases, or PR, there's no way (as far as I know) to reliably verify any of their claims. That said, I'd still rather deal with a company which at least claims to respect privacy rather than one that (like Facebook or Google) either spit on it or make money off tracking me and datamining everything they can about me. [1] - https://www.fastmail.help/hc/en-us/articles/4406536368911 https://www.fastmail.help/hc/en-us/articles/4406536368911 [2] - https://www.spamgourmet.com/ https://www.spamgourmet.com/
- prox 5y ago
  As long as you use it for potentially spammy website account, you can minimize your footprint. Don’t use it to mail friends or co workers for example. Use multiple services so no one service knows the whole picture.
  - geraneum 5y ago
    I have been using SimpleLogin for some time with my own domain and they have an open source backend so I am planning to host it myself so I can even use it for personal emails.
    - prox 5y ago
      SimpleLogin looks pretty good as well.
- theshrike79 5y ago
  There is the fact that, at least in Fastmail's case, you're paying for the service so someone would need to pay a LOT for the data for it to be worth it to the company to risk losing paid customers.
MailNerd 5y ago
Shameless plug for my project: https://www.mailbox.my https://www.mailbox.my also offers email addresses that forward to your existing email. You can send emails from that address as well, not just replies. We have 150+ domains to choose from. Some nifty features coming up, too! Let me know if there's anything you are missing from your existing email service, always looking for ways to improve!
- Chris2048 5y ago
  > we are not willing to participate in any dispute resolution procedure before a consumer arbitration board since it binds too many resources, but we are happily willing to refund your payment in case you are not satisfied with our services. If someone's mail is compromised, or they lose their primary email address, a refund would hardly make up for it. This basically reads as "you'll have to force us to participate by taking legal action"..
  - MailNerd 5y ago
    The dispute resolution would not cover any damages incurred, so it would be a refund anyway. That is my understanding. Would you expect language that offers compensation for any damages incurred, for example due to a hack or the loss of an email? I do not believe any email provider has such provisions. Of course we are still liable for any misconduct as specified by law.
    - Chris2048 5y ago
      > we are still liable for any misconduct as specified by law Would this not be a process of consumer arbitration? For example, If I believe there is misconduct, a GDPR or privacy violation say, is the process not to open a dispute with the EU, and then maybe go to an arb? I'm not aware that other email providers say upfront that they wouldn't participate in such a process.
      - MailNerd 5y ago
        There are many companies who do not participate in this process. I did not want to spend lots of time setting this up and adding another middlemen when the alternative is much simpler (contact us and get a refund). I still do not believe this platform is meant to claim damages, that needs to be done in court. But I will have another look and probably support it when I find some time. Edit: It's fixed now, we support the process. But please just send en email to us it's much easier ;)
tjoff 5y ago
Which mail-client shows images or runs JavaScript by default?
- berkes 5y ago
  gmail, livemail, yahoomail. I.e. the clients that the vast majority of people use. Edit: Though I may be mistaken: I haven't tested them in years.
  - tjoff 5y ago
    Apparently google stopped blocking them in 2013. Surely a more productive way to solve this is to not use such a terrible service? Rather than having to resort to a third party to strip it for you...
- easrng 5y ago
  Gmail runs JS but only in AMP4EMAIL things
southerntofu 5y ago
There's plenty of such solutions, both selfhosted and otherwise. of course as soon as your domain is listed on disposable email lists, you'll be denylisted from many sites but fortunately enough usually the sites who care about who you are are the least interesting ones, and it's still possible to register in many places using disposable inboxes EDIT: I should also mention most disposable email domains get added to the denylist after much use/abuse. By multiplying the domains/IPs serving disposable mailboxes, we greatly reduce the chance of being listed at all.
- rsync 5y ago
  I set up my own domain and run my own personal disposable forwarding. So I guess I’m making things slightly better for everyone :)
avnigo 5y ago
I've been on the private beta waitlist mentioned on that page since this was announced, but not heard back yet, unfortunately.

greenyoda 5y ago

It was easy to miss - got posted to HN several times a few months ago, but never got much traction: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&query=duckduckgo%20email%20protection&sort=byDate&type=story https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...

Operyl 5y ago
Never got an invite, lost interest. Apple's product seems just as good to me.
crossroadsguy 5y ago
I think they kept it free, had an invite system that gave invite no one ever. Tried twice then out of mind, out of sight. Basically it seems like a gimmick or app-download-bait.
- cinntaile 5y ago
  I received my invite a while back. Maybe 2 months ago?
  - crossroadsguy 5y ago
    I didn’t get. Kept the app installed for about two months. Was still waiting for beta access when I uninstalled it. I never used the app as browser or anything. Neither gave it notification permission. Maybe that was the reason.
    - cinntaile 5y ago
      I signed up on a waiting list, I don't use the app.
      - crossroadsguy 5y ago
        I am not aware of any waiting list for this service other than installing the DDG app and signing up for the waiting list via app settings. I had searched around. It seemed that was the only way. At least by DDG officially.
- rsync 5y ago
  Wait - why would you need an app for this ? This interface is a half page web form, right ? Right ?
  - greenyoda 5y ago
    Right. I use two other e-mail forwarding services, and neither one requires an app or a browser extension - they're controlled through simple web interfaces. While I'm a happy user of DDG's search engine, their e-mail service is not something I'd use.

lysium 5y ago

This sounds a lot like ‚hide my email‘ by Apple. I’m still concerned what is happening with my data. With apple, I believe the illusion that it’s not necessary for them to sell my data. Do we have similar insights about duck, besides our believe they won’t sell our data?

wyldfire 5y ago
I mean -- in a similar way to Apple, it's how they want you to see their brand. So no guarantees but it would be shortsighted of them to sell the info somehow. Definitely possible but I'm optimistic that they wouldn't.
gnicholas 5y ago
That's a fair concern. I just went to sign up now (apparently my invite was ready but the app hadn't notified me yet), and there's a section that promises their privacy protections will not be weakened by an acquisition: > We will not allow an ownership change to weaken these privacy guarantees. DuckDuckGo (officially Duck Duck Go, Inc.) is a privately held, independent company, and has been since its founding in 2008. If we are ever acquired by another organization, or if another organization purchases this service, we will email you with details. However, we will not proceed with any deal that weakens these Privacy Guarantees. As a (former) lawyer, I'd say that this provision is something I've considered necessary for a business to make a credible promise not to sell out at a later date. I have never seen such a provision before, and it makes me feel more confident that they've thought this stuff through and are willing to be held to their promises.
- tommica 5y ago
  Well, once they get acquired with the promise that _privacy guarantees are not weakened_, what stops the acquirer from weakening them a year later? Just like Facebook and Oculus.
  - gnicholas 5y ago
    DDG would have to put teeth in their acquisition agreement such that doing so would result in an enormous surcharge or some such thing. They could also make a huge stink publicly, which would result in a mass exodus from their service, making such a move less lucrative for the acquirer. But yeah, there's always a chance that these protections will go away. That's why it's important that they don't keep data right now, so if anything changes later you can just stop using the service (assuming you check HN daily so you'd know if anything was up!).

tejtm 5y ago

Step 1) Download DuckDuckGo for iOS or Android err no. I love DDG and have run web search through them since they started, there are great But I already have mail clients I use and they are not for for hand held computers owned by by G or A.

jazzyjackson 5y ago
Basically the invite to a fresh trendy email address (I'm trying to get a short username over here!) is bait to download the app, the app is not necessary to use the service I just downloaded it and think I'll enjoy it if it doesn't have the browsing quirks of firefox, it has a great "inferno" animation when you hit the button to close all tabs and delete history. Works with my password manager, promises to block trackers, meh, why not?
FabHK 5y ago
DuckDuckGo for iOS or Android is not an email client, but a web browser. The "join the waitlist for a free protected email" thingy is just an item in the settings.

pmoriarty 5y ago

Fastmail has a "masked email" feature, which will forward emails sent to (potentially temporary) email addresses to your regular email account. So will SpamGourmet[2]. Of course the problem with all these services is that you're giving yet another third party access to your communication and giving up your privacy to them. They are all, as far as I know, completely unaccountable regarding what they do with the information they get from your private communication. No matter what they say in their privacy policies, press releases, or PR, there's no way (as far as I know) to reliably verify any of their claims. That said, I'd still rather deal with a company which at least claims to respect privacy rather than one that (like Facebook or Google) either spit on it or make money off tracking me and datamining everything they can about me. [1] - https://www.fastmail.help/hc/en-us/articles/4406536368911 https://www.fastmail.help/hc/en-us/articles/4406536368911 [2] - https://www.spamgourmet.com/ https://www.spamgourmet.com/

prox 5y ago
As long as you use it for potentially spammy website account, you can minimize your footprint. Don’t use it to mail friends or co workers for example. Use multiple services so no one service knows the whole picture.
- geraneum 5y ago
  I have been using SimpleLogin for some time with my own domain and they have an open source backend so I am planning to host it myself so I can even use it for personal emails.
  - prox 5y ago
    SimpleLogin looks pretty good as well.
theshrike79 5y ago
There is the fact that, at least in Fastmail's case, you're paying for the service so someone would need to pay a LOT for the data for it to be worth it to the company to risk losing paid customers.

MailNerd 5y ago

Shameless plug for my project: https://www.mailbox.my https://www.mailbox.my also offers email addresses that forward to your existing email. You can send emails from that address as well, not just replies. We have 150+ domains to choose from. Some nifty features coming up, too! Let me know if there's anything you are missing from your existing email service, always looking for ways to improve!

Chris2048 5y ago
> we are not willing to participate in any dispute resolution procedure before a consumer arbitration board since it binds too many resources, but we are happily willing to refund your payment in case you are not satisfied with our services. If someone's mail is compromised, or they lose their primary email address, a refund would hardly make up for it. This basically reads as "you'll have to force us to participate by taking legal action"..
- MailNerd 5y ago
  The dispute resolution would not cover any damages incurred, so it would be a refund anyway. That is my understanding. Would you expect language that offers compensation for any damages incurred, for example due to a hack or the loss of an email? I do not believe any email provider has such provisions. Of course we are still liable for any misconduct as specified by law.
  - Chris2048 5y ago
    > we are still liable for any misconduct as specified by law Would this not be a process of consumer arbitration? For example, If I believe there is misconduct, a GDPR or privacy violation say, is the process not to open a dispute with the EU, and then maybe go to an arb? I'm not aware that other email providers say upfront that they wouldn't participate in such a process.
    - MailNerd 5y ago
      There are many companies who do not participate in this process. I did not want to spend lots of time setting this up and adding another middlemen when the alternative is much simpler (contact us and get a refund). I still do not believe this platform is meant to claim damages, that needs to be done in court. But I will have another look and probably support it when I find some time. Edit: It's fixed now, we support the process. But please just send en email to us it's much easier ;)

tjoff 5y ago

Which mail-client shows images or runs JavaScript by default?

berkes 5y ago
gmail, livemail, yahoomail. I.e. the clients that the vast majority of people use. Edit: Though I may be mistaken: I haven't tested them in years.
- tjoff 5y ago
  Apparently google stopped blocking them in 2013. Surely a more productive way to solve this is to not use such a terrible service? Rather than having to resort to a third party to strip it for you...
easrng 5y ago
Gmail runs JS but only in AMP4EMAIL things

southerntofu 5y ago

There's plenty of such solutions, both selfhosted and otherwise. of course as soon as your domain is listed on disposable email lists, you'll be denylisted from many sites but fortunately enough usually the sites who care about who you are are the least interesting ones, and it's still possible to register in many places using disposable inboxes EDIT: I should also mention most disposable email domains get added to the denylist after much use/abuse. By multiplying the domains/IPs serving disposable mailboxes, we greatly reduce the chance of being listed at all.

rsync 5y ago
I set up my own domain and run my own personal disposable forwarding. So I guess I’m making things slightly better for everyone :)

avnigo 5y ago

I've been on the private beta waitlist mentioned on that page since this was announced, but not heard back yet, unfortunately.