Better Privacy: What email service?

[Agx]

Hi,

the most of the people on the planet are using Gmail as email address, there are near 1 billion account active (Source: Google) and i think that the most of the people don't know what google do with their personal data.....

But actually, there is a free solution that respect more the privacy of the people?

There are a lot of mail service, but i think that everyone do something that don't respect privacy

Actually i'm evaulating Protonmail, but they are so closed (no import or export of the email) and the only solution that i find that is very reliable, is fastmail and runbox, but they are paid service.

Some other free alternative?

[jeffpan]

Riseup.net
Openmailbox.org
ProtonMail

I use all of them.
Also I was the subscriber of FM and RB.

[unlocktheinbox]

If you want greater privacy, just set up your own mail server.

The cost is just the cost of a monthly VPS - The software to run the mail server is free.

[David]

Originally Posted by unlocktheinbox

If you want greater privacy, just set up your own mail server.

The cost is just the cost of a monthly VPS - The software to run the mail server is free.

A good post! I should do that myself but am too lazy.

[Zach]

Autistici/Inventati, Digitalenvelopes, Ghostmail, Mailfence, Scryptmail and Tutanota are all privacy-orientated email servers.

[krimlin]

Let's face it: all of these "privacy mail providers" with whatever kind of end-to-end encryption lack of usability and you can't make a transition without changing the way you organize and deal with your daily emails. It's always either of these:
- no imap without losing the "security" part of the service (what makes it pointless to use it at all) or not even a smartphone app
- no email migration
- easy encryption works only if sender and recipient use the same provider (protonmail, Tutanota), otherwise you've returned to PGP with its key exchange stories. And no, it's not feasible to request the recipient to visit a link to a website and enter a password on a platform he doesn't even use
- not even subfolders
- own domain usage restrictions / denial
- ...

I've tried mailbox.org, Tutanota and ProtonMail. I think they all have a long way to go. And honestly, I don't believe in seeing a proper solution any time soon without a new standard all providers would have to adapt to. I expect the instant messenger services to have a much better starting position in this - many of them have end-to-end encrypted communication already and it should be easier to implement new features for them than to wait for a global next generation secure email service that somehow builds a bridge between future security and the ease of use we are all accustomed to.

[Zach]

Originally Posted by krimlin

Let's face it: all of these "privacy mail providers" with whatever kind of end-to-end encryption lack of usability and you can't make a transition without changing the way you organize and deal with your daily emails. It's always either of these:
- no imap without losing the "security" part of the service (what makes it pointless to use it at all) or not even a smartphone app

Lumail is another privacy-oriented server that I forgot to mention and they do have IMAP support for paid accounts. Protonmail & Tutanota both have smartphone apps.

[David]

I did try Posteo not too long ago. The only reason I left was because I did not like either one of their Webmail clients. Having said that, I am not an expert in secure email, and how it compares against other privacy orientated providers I do not know.

[krimlin]

Originally Posted by Zach

Lumail is another privacy-oriented server that I forgot to mention and they do have IMAP support for paid accounts. Protonmail & Tutanota both have smartphone apps.

Sure. But as I wrote, for me, it's about complete picture including also the other aspects. No migration of old emails etc.

[Zach]

Originally Posted by krimlin

Sure. But as I wrote, for me, it's about complete picture including also the other aspects. No migration of old emails etc.

Couldn't you just open a new account and forward over the important emails from your old account? Do you really need all the emails from your old account?

[krimlin]

Zach, I'm not sure if my point was clear enough.

I tried to make clear why I don't think that these new email services are already developed enough to provide a seamless migration from another account. I named a few aspects that make it hard to continue with the way many people deal with email every day.

Tutanota:
- end-to-end encryption is only activated when you send/receive emails to/from another Tutanota user. It's pretty much pointless to use it, since none of my contacts have accounts there. As soon as my email leaves the Tutanota server, it is as "non private" as with any other email service!
- There is not even a search feature in their webmail interface
- They don't even have a logical way to organize emails. Either the "labels" or the "subfolders" approach would be a minimum standard.

Protonmail:
- the same issue with end-to-end encryption as with Tutanota
- at least they have "labels".... But what if my way of organizing emails is based on folders with 5 or more hierarchies?!

...I don't want to continue with this list here. If people only use email to stay in touch with a few friends, it's alright to move to these services. For everyone else, I don't think they are (yet) able to keep the promises they make or offer the usability people know from their previous accounts.

[krimlin]

I just found this comparison. It might be interesting for some: https://www.vegard.net/archives/11906/