Main email provider deciding to close shop.

[kasarberang]

Today when waking up to login to my email I get this notification: "NOTICE: Email service will be shutting down May 26th 2022" basically telling me to move all my stuff to a different provider. I was having issues with this provider (which really start to make sense now that I know they're closing shop.) Anyway, luckily I came mostly prepared. I use a redirection service for most of my emails, it allows me to use a handful of their built-in domains (or add my own) and redirect the mail to my main mailbox (and also reply from the email, so no one actually knows your real email address). I don't know if I would be able to handle moving emails in such a short time without the redirection service. The biggest issue is getting the few who were sending emails directly to me updated. Since moving the redirection service over was as easy as just changing the redirection addresses.

 

Going to be a huge pain, but I'm grateful I don't have to move everything over.

 

[willnotwill]

I have been using my own domain names for a while now (saw the writing on the wall along time ago).  I had them MXed to Tuffmail until they shutdown.   I'm using Fastmail now and pretty happy with it.

 

[kasarberang]

8 minutes ago, willnotwill said:

I have been using my own domain names for a while now (saw the writing on the wall along time ago).  I had them MXed to Tuffmail until they shutdown.   I'm using Fastmail now and pretty happy with it.

 

Yup, I have my own domain connected to my redirection service (because it allows unlimited disposable emails, so it's great for organizing.)

It seems like the smart thing to do really. Otherwise, you're leaving yourself beholden to the service provider you were using. I'm switching over to Posteo, haven't used it long enough to give any actual feedback, but it's given a good first impression so far.

[DailyDi]

20 years on my own server for my main email. But I still use hotmail for diaper-related contacts

[kasarberang]

5 hours ago, DailyDi said:

20 years on my own server for my main email. But I still use hotmail for diaper-related contacts

Might do that at some point honestly, it's seeming more and more like the way to go.

[Dubious]

Started with hotmail, moved to a private server, then jumped on the Gmail bandwagon. 

So now I use Gmail for everything. 

[Kawaharu]

I have ProtonMail that is secure and encrypted. https://protonmail.com/

[AwakenEvil]

Exchange 2016 and a go daddy domain! Yes yes yes I know 2025 I'm fucked... you know how much a copy of exchange costs with licensing!???

[Crinklz Kat]

Postfix on Linux here. 

[Nyte Kitsune]

Gmail here as well, Good spam filter, pretty much only get emails from people/businesses I know. Used to use Hotmail (Now its called outlook) which gets way too much spam.

[Kawaharu]

35 minutes ago, Nyte Kitsune said:

Gmail here as well, Good spam filter, pretty much only get emails from people/businesses I know. Used to use Hotmail (Now its called outlook) which gets way too much spam.

Proton mail is alot better than Gmail and it's pretty secure and encrypted. I use it to keep my Email's encrypted 

https://protonmail.com/

[kasarberang]

1 hour ago, Kawaharu said:

Proton mail is alot better than Gmail and it's pretty secure and encrypted. I use it to keep my Email's encrypted 

https://protonmail.com/

ProtonMail has had a lot of controversies about it. They even lied about not keeping user's IP address and had to change their policies once they got caught. I moved from ProtonMail for this very reason, I don't care that they complied with law enforcement. I care that they actively mislead customers into thinking that it was virtually impossible for them to log user's IPs. They also made it out like getting a valid Swiss court order was practically impossible. Meanwhile, the reason they complied in catching the climate change activist was not because Switzerland had a problem, but because France (A country which is far less privacy/speech respecting) went through Switzerland to put a court order on ProtonMail.

 

I was using CTemplar, but unfortunately, they shut down.

 

I am now using Posteo which has a much cleaner track record than ProtonMail and also actively seems to collect as little data as possible, with a feature set that only helps further decrease the amount of data they have on you. Some of those features include: Transport Encryption, Encrypted Mail Storage (including attachments and metadata), Anonymous Payments even through non-anonymous methods and Inbound PGP encryption

[Kawaharu]

25 minutes ago, kasarberang said:

ProtonMail has had a lot of controversies about it. They even lied about not keeping user's IP address and had to change their policies once they got caught. I moved from ProtonMail for this very reason, I don't care that they complied with law enforcement. I care that they actively mislead customers into thinking that it was virtually impossible for them to log user's IPs. They also made it out like getting a valid Swiss court order was practically impossible. Meanwhile, the reason they complied in catching the climate change activist was not because Switzerland had a problem, but because France (A country which is far less privacy/speech respecting) went through Switzerland to put a court order on ProtonMail.

 

I was using CTemplar, but unfortunately, they shut down. I am now using Posteo which has a much cleaner track record than ProtonMail and also actively seems to collect as little data as possible, with a feature set that only helps further decrease the amount of data they have on you. Some of those features include: Transport Encryption, Encrypted Mail Storage (including attachments and metadata), Anonymous Payments even through non-anonymous methods and Inbound PGP encryption

Ct templer is shutting down but Proton mail and a host of others are better alternatives to Gmail

https://reclaimthenet.org/private-email-provider-ctemplar-is-shutting-down/

Here's a list of Private, secure Email providers

https://reclaimthenet.org/private-email-providers/

[kasarberang]

10 minutes ago, Kawaharu said:

Ct templer is shutting down but Proton mail and a host of others are better alternatives to Gmail

https://reclaimthenet.org/private-email-provider-ctemplar-is-shutting-down/

Here's a list of Private, secure Email providers

https://reclaimthenet.org/private-email-providers/

I know CTemplar is shutting down (I mentioned it in my comment and it's the reason for the creation of this post.). I switched to Posteo, which is what I was talking about for most of my comment (It also shows up on the list you sent).

However this guide by dig deeper: https://digdeeper.neocities.org/ghost/email.html is significantly more informative than that ReclaimTheNet Page.

[Kawaharu]

15 minutes ago, kasarberang said:

I know CTemplar is shutting down (I mentioned it in my comment and it's the reason for the creation of this post.). I switched to Posteo, which is what I was talking about for most of my comment (It also shows up on the list you sent).

However this guide by dig deeper: https://digdeeper.neocities.org/ghost/email.html is significantly more informative than that ReclaimTheNet Page.

Even though Proton Mail is in Switzerland and they have strong privacy laws, I encrypt my messages within the Email as well. I use GPGtools to encrypt all my files and Email messages 

[DiaperboyEddie12]

@kasarberang what email provider is closing shop?  I use Gmail for everything and my own domains for other stuff.

[kasarberang]

3 hours ago, DiaperboyEddie12 said:

@kasarberang what email provider is closing shop?  I use Gmail for everything and my own domains for other stuff.

CTemplar, they were a privacy-focused Email provider located in Iceland and fairly new. They seem to be closing due to lack of funding, atleast that's the going theory as they haven't revealed the exact details as of yet.

 

I've moved to Posteo which is the provider I was going to go to before coming across CTemplar.

I, personally, try to avoid Google services as I don't actively like to contribute to that sort of business model (where you pay with your data). However, that's just a me thing, I obviously have no stock in what services other people decide to use.

[Dubious]

Already have ProtonVPN, have now activated e-mail, but just gonna use it as a backup for now. 
Also got the shorter adress, @proton.me 

[kasarberang]

4 minutes ago, Dubious said:

Already have ProtonVPN, have now activated e-mail, but just gonna use it as a backup for now. 
Also got the shorter adress, @proton.me 

ProtonMail also offers even shorter @pm.me which is what I used when I was using the service.

[Dubious]

12 minutes ago, kasarberang said:

ProtonMail also offers even shorter @pm.me which is what I used when I was using the service.

Quote

You can now receive messages to your @pm.me address. Upgrade to a paid plan to also send emails using your @pm.me address and create additional @pm.me addresses.

Activated that too now, but can only receive on that address, unless I pay for a plus plan. 

So now I have 3 email addresses to same account. 

Edit: I just tested it, and it works with my current VPN plan, so don't have to pay extra. 

Proton address is simpler than my gmail account, so I might use that when I need to tell people my address. 

[Kawaharu]

Proton Mail is a lot better than Gmail because it's not owned by the big tech and Proton is bound by Swiss privacy laws. That's why I have proton mail if I want to send something private and encrypted 

I know Mailvelope is a service that let's you encrypt and use PGP to send mail privately. It works with Gmail.  https://mailvelope.com/en

If you want to know how to encrypt messages, let me know I have the capability and have used PGP on all my emails.

[Dubious]

I don't do illegal stuff, and have nothing to hide. 

[willnotwill]

You have to assume anything you put on the internet is likely going to be disclosed.   While the transport may be encrypted, by its nature conventional email is not at both the endpoints and relays.    I've got a good friend who is hiding from her abusive hacker ex-husband and the levels she has to undergo to send us untraceable stuff is staggering.

[kasarberang]

8 hours ago, willnotwill said:

You have to assume anything you put on the internet is likely going to be disclosed.   While the transport may be encrypted, by its nature conventional email is not at both the endpoints and relays.    I've got a good friend who is hiding from her abusive hacker ex-husband and the levels she has to undergo to send us untraceable stuff is staggering.

This is why threat modeling is important. Not everyone wants privacy for the same reasons, and what they want to be private from might be more or less challenging, especially when the risks of failing are high.

I just don't like big-tech and want to minimize the data that they have on me, the risks of me failing are practically 0, if I mess up it's not like I'll risk exposing anything that could land me in hot water. Whereas the case you mentioned requires a lot more care and probably needs to go a little overboard simply due to the risk of what might happen if they fail.

 

You're right though, no one should send anything truly private through email, email is a very flawed system and it is not very secure, PGP is pretty good, but I wouldn't entrust something truly confidential through it.

 

Many privacy activists will tell you, if you have to send someone something with true confidentiality, tell them in person if possible.

[Kawaharu]

On 5/3/2022 at 2:19 PM, kasarberang said:

You're right though, no one should send anything truly private through email, email is a very flawed system and it is not very secure, PGP is pretty good, but I wouldn't entrust something truly confidential through it.

I use PGP alot and it takes alot to learn about PGP and encryption. I have encrypt files that are sensitive and even encrypt messages as well. Encryption is a skill to learn and their are PGP programs that are worth using.

Think of it this way, Edward Snowden exposed the fact that Governments can read people's emails and Encrypting them, makes it alot harder to read and it would take all the computer power in the world to crack one email.