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Old 11 Oct 2021, 11:14 PM   #1
evfrson
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Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: London/Tokyo/Dubai
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Reuse of deleted account addresses

Does anyone know why FastMail user names are recycled when an account has been deleted (the deleted account user name can be used by someone else) but alias addresses are not recycled ?
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Old 12 Oct 2021, 05:47 AM   #2
evfrson
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According to FastMail support it is because the account is pending deletion and usernames are recycled before aliases are recycled.
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Old 12 Oct 2021, 04:12 PM   #3
gardenweed
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I wonder how long they wait to recycle an alias?

Some years ago, I created an alias using one of the fastmail domains.
Later I went to create a subscription to an online magazine.
It said that the email I used was already an account holder.
I thought, maybe I forgot I already subscribed.
So I sent a password reset request.
When I logged in I found another person's details, name address etc

So clearly somebody before me had used this alias to create an account at this site already. They must have then released the alias or deleted their fastmail account.

I thought that was pretty scary and alerted me to not use fastmail domain aliases in the future, in case I am the one that has forgotten to remove those details before I release the alias.
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Old 12 Oct 2021, 06:11 PM   #4
BritTim
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gardenweed View Post
I wonder how long they wait to recycle an alias?

Some years ago, I created an alias using one of the fastmail domains.
Later I went to create a subscription to an online magazine.
It said that the email I used was already an account holder.
I thought, maybe I forgot I already subscribed.
So I sent a password reset request.
When I logged in I found another person's details, name address etc

So clearly somebody before me had used this alias to create an account at this site already. They must have then released the alias or deleted their fastmail account.

I thought that was pretty scary and alerted me to not use fastmail domain aliases in the future, in case I am the one that has forgotten to remove those details before I release the alias.
Scary indeed! However, the lesson I would take from this experience is not to delete aliases, once you have created and used them ... at least if they have names that anyone else is likely to choose. This is also the reason why I believe any domains you purchase should be held defensively for at least five years after you stop using them.
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Old 12 Oct 2021, 06:19 PM   #5
gardenweed
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BritTim View Post
... the lesson I would take from this experience is not to delete aliases, once you have created and used them ... at least if they have names that anyone else is likely to choose. This is also the reason why I believe any domains you purchase should be held defensively for at least five years after you stop using them.
I agree.
There are a number of aliases that I created before this event which I no longer need.
But I'm not deleting them. They just sit there dormant.

Last edited by gardenweed : 12 Oct 2021 at 10:13 PM. Reason: fix html formatting ;)
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Old 12 Oct 2021, 09:25 PM   #6
evfrson
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What surprised me is the speed at which FastMail recycle account user names.
I deleted my account on 7th October because I wasn't really using it.
On the 10th October as a test I tried to create a new trial account with the same user name and to my surprise I was able to, but the aliases were not there and I could not re-create my old aliases.
I was concerned by this as I view it as a security risk so I asked FastMail to restore my deleted account (and with it all my aliases) just to ensure my emails remain private to me and not another user.
I am going to keep this account ticking over at the lowest plan until I am sure ALL my contacts have my new address and no emails are being sent to my FastMail address.
I really think FastMail should not be recycling email addresses ever as many other email providers do.
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