Author: Keith S. (Page 7 of 8)

Use Temporary Email Services for Privacy and Convenience.

January 26, 2024 / Keith S. / 0 Comments

Use Temporary Email Services for Privacy and Convenience

In a previous post, Privacy Hive discussed the importance of choosing a privacy-oriented email provider and using email forwarding services to disguise your primary email address and create aliases for different services and websites. However, sometimes, you only need a temporary email to register for a service, verify an account, or receive a confirmation link. These brief email accounts provide a convenient way to avoid using your more permanent and essential email address shared with family and friends.

What are temporary email services?

Temporary email services are online platforms that allow you to create and use disposable email addresses that expire after a certain period, usually ranging from a few minutes to a few days. These services do not require personal information, registration, or password. You can generate a random email address or choose from a list of available domains and use it for your online activities.

Why use temporary email services?

There are many benefits of using temporary email services, such as:

Privacy: You can protect your actual email address from spam, phishing, hacking, identity theft, and unwanted marketing. You can also avoid revealing your personal information or interests to third-party websites or services that may track, sell, or share your data with others.
Convenience: You can save time and hassle by not having to create and manage multiple email accounts for different purposes. You can also avoid cluttering your inbox with unnecessary or unwanted emails you may never read or need again.
Security: You can reduce the risk of compromising your online accounts or devices by using temporary email addresses for verification or authentication. You can also avoid exposing your actual email address to potential malware, viruses, or hackers that may try to access your email or device.

How to use temporary email services?

There are many temporary email services available on the web, but here are some of the most popular and reliable ones that you can try:

Temp Mail: This service allows you to create and use a temporary email address that expires after an hour. You can also extend the validity of your email address, change the domain name, or delete it manually. You can access your inbox from any device or browser and receive attachments up to 10 MB.
Guerrilla Mail: This service allows you to create and use a temporary email address that expires after an hour. You can also choose from various domain names, send and receive emails with attachments up to 150 MB, and scan your emails for viruses. You can access your inbox from any device or browser and use a password to protect your email address.
EmailOnDeck: This service allows you to create and use a temporary email address that expires after 24 hours. You can generate a new email address, change the domain name, or delete it manually. You can access your inbox from any device or browser and receive emails with attachments up to 25 MB.

Tips and precautions for using temporary email services

While temporary email services are helpful and convenient, they also have some limitations and risks that you should be aware of, such as:

Not suitable for long-term or important communication: You should not use temporary email services for anything that requires long-term or ongoing communication, such as personal or professional contacts, online banking, social media, or e-commerce. You may lose access to your email address or inbox at any time, or your email may be deleted, expired, or exposed to others.
Not compatible with some websites or services: You may encounter websites or services that do not accept or recognize temporary email addresses or require a valid or verified email address for registration or activation. You may also face issues with receiving or sending emails, such as delays, errors, or rejections.
Not completely secure or anonymous: You should not use temporary email services for sensitive or confidential information, such as passwords, personal details, financial data, or legal documents. You may still be tracked or identified by your IP address, browser, device, or other factors. You may also be vulnerable to phishing, spoofing, or hacking attempts by malicious actors who may access or intercept your emails.

Conclusion

Temporary email services are a great way to protect your privacy and convenience when you need a disposable email address for a short-term or one-time purpose. However, you should also be aware of the limitations and risks of using these services wisely and responsibly. You should also always use a secure and trusted email provider and forwarding service for your primary and permanent email address and communication. Stay safe, and happy emailing!

How Email Forwarding Services Can Enhance Your Email Privacy

January 19, 2024 / Keith S. / 0 Comments

As mentioned in last week’s blog post, email is one of the most widely used and convenient forms of communication in the modern world. However, it also comes with many risks and challenges for your privacy and security. For example:

Your email address can reveal your identity, location, and interests to third parties who may use it for marketing, tracking, or malicious purposes.
Your email provider may scan your emails for keywords, attachments, or links and use them to target you with ads, sell your data, or cooperate with government agencies.
Your email account may be hacked, compromised, or exposed in a data breach, resulting in the loss of your personal or sensitive information or the impersonation of your identity.

You may have already taken steps to protect your email privacy, such as using a secure email service that respects your privacy, encrypting your emails, setting expiration dates on your messages, and using two-factor authentication. However, email forwarding services are another simple and effective way to enhance your email privacy.

What are email forwarding services?

Email forwarding services are online platforms that allow you to create alternative email addresses that forward messages to your main email address, keeping your primary address hidden from the sender and the recipient. For example, if your primary email address is john@proton.me, you can create an alias such as john@33mail.com to sign up for newsletters, online accounts, or other services. Any email sent to john@33mail.com will automatically be forwarded to john@proton.me without revealing your email address.

Email forwarding services offer many benefits for your email privacy, such as:

You can avoid spam, phishing, and malware by creating disposable email addresses that you can delete or block anytime.
You can prevent tracking and profiling by using different email addresses or websites for various purposes, making it harder for third parties to link your online activities.
You can control your inbox by filtering, sorting, or labeling your forwarded emails according to the sender, the subject, or the content.
You can reduce the risk of data breaches by limiting the exposure of your primary email address, which may be linked to your other personal or financial information.

What are the most popular email forwarding services?

Many email forwarding services are available online, but not all are equally reliable, secure, or private. Some may have poor performance, limited features, or questionable privacy policies. Therefore, choosing an email forwarding service that meets your needs and expectations is essential. Here are some of the more popular email forwarding services for 2024:

33mail: This free, open-source, and encrypted email forwarding service allows you to create unlimited private email addresses that forward messages to your primary email account without revealing your real identity or email address. By using 33mail, you can protect your primary email address from spam, phishing, and hacking, control your email subscriptions and preferences, and enhance your email encryption and security.
Forward Email: This free, encrypted, open-source email forwarding service does not store any logs or emails. It offers unlimited custom domain names, email addresses, aliases, phishing, executable, and virus protection. It also supports catch-all email addresses and multiple recipients per email address. You can also opt for a paid plan offering enhanced privacy protection and customization options.
SimpleLogin: This secure and easy-to-use email forwarding service lets you create unlimited email aliases that forward to your inbox. It also offers encryption, custom domains, browser extensions, and mobile apps. You can use it for free with some restrictions or subscribe to a premium plan that provides more benefits and support.

Email forwarding services are a great way to enhance your email privacy and security, as they allow you to hide your actual email address and use alternative email addresses that are forwarded to your inbox. By using email forwarding services, you can avoid spam, phishing, malware, tracking, profiling, and data breaches and have more control over your inbox.

Why You Need a Privacy Email Provider

January 12, 2024 / Keith S. / 0 Comments

Email is one of the Internet’s most widely used forms of communication. Whether you use it for personal or professional purposes, you often send and receive dozens of emails daily. But have you ever wondered how secure your email is?

Most people use popular email services such as Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo, which are free and convenient. However, these services come with a trade-off: they often scan your emails and collect data to send to advertisers. They also have access to your email content and metadata, which can reveal much information about you and your contacts. Moreover, they may comply with government requests or court orders to hand over your data to third parties. Your email privacy is at risk.

Anyone who can intercept or access your emails can potentially read your personal or sensitive information, such as passwords, bank details, health records, or confidential documents. These actions can lead to identity theft, fraud, blackmail, or cyberattacks.

To protect your email privacy, you need a private email provider. A private email provider is a service that encrypts your emails and does not collect or share your data with anyone. Encryption is a process that scrambles your messages so that only you and the intended recipient can read them. A private email provider also offers features such as self-destructing emails, anonymous sign-up, and zero-access guarantee, which means that even the provider cannot access your emails.

The Best Private Email Providers

Many private email providers are available, but not all are equally secure and reliable. Here are some of the more popular private email providers that you can use in 2024:

ProtonMail: ProtonMail is the world’s most popular and trusted private email provider. Scientists at CERN founded it, and its servers are in Switzerland, a country with strong privacy laws. ProtonMail uses end-to-end encryption, which means that your emails are encrypted on your device and can only be decrypted by the recipient. ProtonMail also offers self-destructing emails, anonymous sign-up, and a zero-access guarantee. ProtonMail has a free plan supporting one email address, 1GB of storage, and 150 daily messages.
Mailfence: Mailfence is another excellent private email provider that uses end-to-end encryption and does not track or store your data. Mailfence also supports digital signatures and encryption keys, which allow you to verify the identity and authenticity of your email contacts. Mailfence has a free plan supporting one email address, 500MB of storage, and 1,000 monthly messages.
StartMail: StartMail is a secure email provider that lets you create unlimited aliases and temporary email addresses that you can use to protect your actual email address from spam and phishing. StartMail also uses end-to-end encryption and does not collect or share your data with anyone.
Tutanota: Tutanota, now known as Tuta, is a green and eco-friendly private email provider that uses renewable energy to power its servers. Tuta also uses end-to-end encryption and does not store metadata, such as the subject line or the sender and recipient of your emails. Tuta has a generous free plan.

These are just some of the best private email providers that you can use to protect your email privacy. Using a private email provider, you can ensure that your emails are secure and confidential and that your data is not exploited or exposed by anyone.

Privacy is priceless. Value it.

Personal VPNs: What They Are and Why You Need Them

January 5, 2024 / Keith S. / 0 Comments

In previous posts, Privacy Hive discussed the importance of choosing a privacy-enabled browser and browser extension, as they can help you block trackers, ads, and malware and enhance your online privacy and anonymity. However, these tools are not enough to protect your privacy and freedom on the internet, as your internet service provider (ISP), government, and hackers can still monitor and interfere with your online activities. That’s why you need another layer of protection: a personal VPN.

A personal VPN, or virtual private network, is a service that creates an encrypted connection between your device and a remote server operated by the VPN provider. This way, your internet traffic is routed through the server, hiding your IP address and location from prying eyes. A personal VPN also helps bypass geographic restrictions, censorship, and network throttling. This article will explain the different types of personal VPNs, their benefits, and the top five most popular VPNs.

Benefits of Personal VPNs

Using a personal VPN can provide you with several advantages, such as:

Privacy: A personal VPN can hide your IP address and location from websites, apps, and third parties that may track and monitor your online activities. This way, you can prevent them from collecting and selling your data or targeting you with ads and malware.
Security: A personal VPN can encrypt your internet traffic, making it unreadable and untraceable by hackers, ISPs, and governments. This way, you can protect your sensitive information, such as passwords, credit card details, and messages, from being intercepted and stolen.
Freedom: A personal VPN can help you access geo-restricted content, such as streaming services, social media, and news sites, that may be blocked or censored in your region. This way, you can enjoy online entertainment, communication, and information without compromising your privacy and security.
Performance: A personal VPN can improve internet speed and quality by avoiding network congestion, bandwidth throttling, and packet loss. This way, you can have a smoother and faster online experience, especially for gaming, streaming, and downloading.

Five Popular Personal VPNs

Many personal VPNs are available on the market, but not all are equally reliable, secure, and user-friendly. Here are five popular private VPNs that we suggest reviewing, along with their links to their sites:

ProtonVPN: This VPN is the best overall VPN, as it offers unmatched transparency, top-notch security, access to the Tor network, and a generous free plan.
PIAVPN: This VPN offers a secure connection to over 90 countries, unlimited devices, quality privacy tools, and an audited no-logs policy.
NordVPN: This VPN offers fast and stable connections, many features, diskless servers, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Surfshark: This VPN is a low-cost VPN, as it offers unlimited simultaneous connections, lots of unique security features, and a low price.
ExpressVPN: This VPN is the goof for global location spoofers, as it offers a large and diverse network of servers, excellent for streaming, and a 1-year Backblaze subscription.

To sum up, a personal VPN is essential for anyone who values online privacy and freedom. A personal VPN can hide your IP address and location, encrypt your internet traffic, and help you access geo-restricted content. There are different types of private VPNs, each with advantages and disadvantages, but they all share the same goal: to protect your online activities from unwanted surveillance and interference. Whether you use a laptop or a phone, you should always use a personal VPN online, as it can enhance your privacy and anonymity.

Privacy is Power

January 5, 2024 / Keith S. / 0 Comments

Carissa Véliz shows in Privacy is Power how our data is vital for our personal growth and our democratic values, and how we can defend it from various threats. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the politics of privacy and the perils of the data economy.

Happy New Year 2024

December 31, 2023 / Keith S. / 0 Comments

Welcome Back Students

December 29, 2023 / Keith S. / 0 Comments

Dear Students,

Welcome back to a new semester and a new year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday break and are ready to start 2024 with enthusiasm and curiosity.

As a privacy professionals, Privacy Hive wants to remind you of the importance of protecting your personal information and respecting the privacy of others. Privacy is a fundamental human right that enables you to express yourself, communicate with others, and pursue your goals without fear of being monitored, tracked, or discriminated against.

However, various sources, such as hackers, advertisers, governments, and even your friends and family, constantly threaten privacy. That’s why you need to be aware of the risks and take steps to safeguard your privacy online and offline.

– Use strong passwords (at least 12 alphanumeric characters) and change them regularly. Please don’t use the same password for multiple accounts or share them with anyone.

– Be careful about what you post on social media and who you share it with. Don’t reveal too much personal information, such as your location, birthday, phone number, or school name. Adjust your privacy settings to limit who can see your posts and photos.

– Avoid clicking on suspicious links or downloading unknown attachments. They could contain malware or phishing scams that could steal your data or infect your device.

– Use encryption and VPNs to secure your online communication and browsing. They can prevent hackers, ISPs, and other third parties from intercepting or snooping on your traffic.

– Review the privacy policies and terms of service of the apps and websites you use. Please find out how they collect, use, and share your data and what choices you have to control your privacy.

– Respect the privacy of others and ask for their consent before taking or sharing their photos, videos, or personal information. Don’t spy on or harass anyone online or offline.

By following these tips, you can enjoy the benefits of technology while protecting your privacy and the privacy of others. Remember, privacy is not only a right but also a responsibility. It’s up to you to make intelligent choices and respect the boundaries of others.

I wish you all the best for the new semester and year. If you have any questions or concerns about privacy, don’t hesitate to contact us anytime.

Sincerely,

Privacy Hive

Happy Holidays

December 25, 2023 / Keith S. / 0 Comments

Firefox Browser Extensions (Add-ons)

December 23, 2023 / Keith S. / 0 Comments

Privacy Hive understands the importance of protecting your online privacy. One way to do this is by using a privacy-focused browser. Additionally, you can further enhance your online privacy by installing browser extensions, which are small software programs that can be installed on your web browser.

In this blog, Privacy Hive will focus on four types of Firefox browser extensions that can help protect your online privacy: (1) ad and tracker blocking, (2) fingerprint protection, (3) user agent string protection, and (4) containerization.

(1) Ad and tracker blocking: Advertisements and trackers can be used to collect data about your online behavior. Browser add-ons such as Ublock Origin can block ads and trackers by blacklists, which are a list of unsafe URLs, IP addresses, or domain names that are removed from the search results by authorities such as search engines like Google and Bing or antivirus service providers like McAfee, SiteAdvisor, and Norton, Safe Web.

Additionally, blacklists are used to protect users from malicious websites that may contain malware or phishing scams. Websites that are on a blacklist are removed from search results and are flagged as unsafe. It is important to note that blacklists are not foolproof and that it is still essential to be cautious about the websites you visit and the information you share online.

(2) Fingerprinting protection: Websites can use browser fingerprinting to track your online behavior. Browser fingerprinting is a technique used to track users online by collecting and analyzing various unique characteristics of a web browser to create a distinctive identifier or “fingerprint” for that browser. These characteristics include, but are not limited to, the following:

Browser type and version
Operating system
Installed plugins
Time zone
Language
Screen resolution
Hardware details

Combining enough of these characteristics makes building a unique fingerprint on a user’s device possible. This technique is stealthy and difficult to block, making it a popular choice for tracking companies.

Browser add-ons such as Canvas Blocker can protect you from fingerprinting by blocking websites’ scripts to collect your fingerprint data.

(3) User agent string protection: A User-Agent (UA) string is an alphanumeric string identifying the ‘agent’ or program requesting a web server for a digital asset such as a document, image, or web page. The User-Agent string is handy because it gives you information about the software and hardware running on the device making the request, like the operating system and browser versions. Websites can use your browser’s user agent string to track online behavior. Browser add-ons such as User-Agent Switcher and Manager can protect you from user agent string tracking by allowing you to spoof your browser’s user agent string to a custom designation, making it impossible for websites to know specific details about your browsing arrangement.

(4) Containerization: Browser containers are a privacy feature that helps you protect your online identity. They allow you to separate your browsing activities into different color-coded tabs for work, banking, shopping, and personal browsing. Using these containers, you can categorize your browsing based on purpose and create tabs for each category. This helps to prevent websites from tracking your online activity and collecting data about you.

Firefox Multi-Account Containers is an extension developed by Mozilla that allows you to use containers to protect your privacy. You can sign into multiple accounts on a single website, prevent tracking and security attacks, assign websites to containers, and hide/show and sort tabs.

In conclusion, browser add-ons can provide additional online privacy protection beyond what a privacy-focused browser can offer. Ad and tracker blocking, fingerprint protection, user agent string protection, and containerization are four types of browser add-ons that can help protect your online privacy and protect you from malicious websites and online tracking.

Why Tor Browser may be Better for Online Anonymity

December 15, 2023 / Keith S. / 0 Comments

The internet is a vast and wonderful place, but it also comes with many risks and threats to your privacy. Many websites, advertisers, and hackers can track your online activity, collect your data, and even censor or manipulate the information you see. If you value your online privacy and freedom, you might want to use a browser that protects you from these dangers.

Many popular browsers provide some level of privacy while searching the internet, such as Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, and Microsoft Edge, discussed in an early blog post. These browsers have features like private browsing mode, cookie blocking, and encryption that can help you avoid unwanted tracking and surveillance. However, these browsers are not enough to ensure your complete online anonymity, as they still reveal your IP address, location, device information, and browsing history to the websites you visit and the network you use.

The best browser for anonymity is the Tor Browser, based on the Tor Project, a nonprofit organization that develops free and open-source software for online privacy and freedom. Tor Browser is different from other browsers in that it uses the Tor network, a system of thousands of volunteer-run servers known as Tor relays, to route your internet traffic through multiple layers of encryption and random paths. This way, the Tor Browser hides your IP address, location, device information, and browsing history from anyone who tries to spy on or censor you. Tor Browser also blocks third-party trackers, ads, and scripts that can compromise your privacy or security.

Tor Browser is the only browser that can access the dark web, a part of the internet that is hidden from the regular web and requires special software. The dark web contains websites that use the .onion domain, which are only reachable through the Tor network. These websites offer services and content not available on the regular web, such as whistle-blowing platforms, political activism, journalism, social networks, and more. Some of these websites may also contain illegal or harmful content, so you should be careful and use your judgment when browsing the dark web.

Tor Browser is imperfect and has some limitations and challenges you should be aware of. For example, the Tor Browser can be slower than other browsers, as it has to route your traffic through multiple relays. Tor Browser can also break some websites that rely on JavaScript, Flash, or other plugins turned off by default for security reasons. Tor Browser can also be blocked or attacked by some governments, ISPs, or hackers who want to prevent or expose its users. Tor Browser can also not protect you from human errors, such as revealing your identity or personal information through your online behavior or interactions.

Therefore, if you want to use the Tor Browser for online anonymity, the Privacy Hive suggests you should follow some best practices and tips provided by the Tor Project, such as:

• Use the Tor Browser and software specifically configured for Tor. Tor does not protect all of your computer’s Internet traffic when you run it. Tor only covers properly configured applications that send their Internet traffic through Tor.

• Do not use the Tor Browser for torrenting; this can expose your IP address and harm the Tor network.

• Do not install or enable browser extensions, plugins, or add-ons, as they can compromise privacy or security.

• Please do not open any documents or files downloaded through Tor while online, as they can reveal your IP address or contain malware.

• Please do not use your real name, email, or other personal information while using Tor, as they can link your online activity to your identity.

• Do not log into any accounts or services outside Tor; they can de-anonymize you and track your online activity.

• Please do not change the default settings or preferences of Tor Browser, as they can affect your privacy or security.

• Do not use Tor Browser on public or untrusted computers or networks, as they can compromise privacy or security.

• Please do not rely on the Tor Browser alone; it is not a magic bullet that can protect you from all online threats. Other tools and techniques, such as encryption, VPN, antivirus, firewall, and more, would enhance online privacy and security.

In conclusion, the Tor Browser is the best browser for online anonymity, as it protects you from tracking, surveillance, and censorship by using the Tor network. Tor Browser also allows you to access the dark web, a hidden part of the internet that offers various services and content unavailable on the regular web. However, the Tor Browser also has some limitations and challenges that you should be aware of, and you should follow some best practices and tips to use it safely and effectively.