Not long ago, the sharing economy seemed to take over. Privacy was dead, and no one cared. But that was a pre-Snowden era. Now, for some, the need to go truly anonymous is more important than ever.
What do you do if you want to set up an email address that is completely secret and nameless, with no obvious connection to you whatsoever without the the hassle of setting up your own servers?
This goes beyond just encrypting messages. Anyone can do that with web-based email like Gmail by using a browser extension like Secure Mail by Streak. For desktop email clients, GnuPG (Privacy Guard) or EnigMail is a must. Web-based ProtonMail promises end-to-end encryption with zero access to the data by the company behind it, plus it has apps for iOS and Android.
But those don’t hide who sent the message.
Here are the services you should use to create that truly nameless, unidentifiable email address. But be sure to use your powers for good.
First Step: Browse Anonymously
Your web browser is tracking you. It’s that simple. Cookies, and so-called unstoppable “super cookies” know where you’ve been and what you’ve done and they’re willing to share. Sure, it’s mostly about serving you targeted ads, but that’s not much consolation for those looking to surf in private.
Your browser’s incognito/private mode can only do so much—sites are still going to record your IP address, for example.
If you want to browse the web anonymously (and use that private time to set up an email), you need not only a virtual private network, but also the Tor Browser, a security-laden, Mozilla-based browser from the Tor Project. If you don’t…
