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Email Risks Uncovered: A Friendly Guide to Stay away from Gmail

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Published: 09 Feb 2023 › Updated: 09 Feb 2023Email Risks Uncovered: A Friendly Guide to Stay away from Gmail

Email Risks Uncovered: A Friendly Guide to Stay away from Gmail

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As part of my DeGoogle post and efforts to make more private my digital footprint, it is important to address the email services aspect. While stopping the use of Gmail services is a step in the right direction, it is not sufficient in ensuring the protection of personal information. There are still various risks that need to be considered in order to fully secure sensitive information, its very hard to get 100% away from large corporations like Google this days but by not using their Email service you start to trim down their dominion over your data, by avoiding using your Gmail account to sign into services you start to reclaim the right to keep your data private, probably not all of it but some of it.


Previous Articles on Deggogle:
Start to DeGoogle
@skiptvads/start-to-degoogle-yes-its

Conscious YouTube Users
@skiptvads/why-invidious-is-a-must


Email is generally considered an insecure form of communication, as it can be intercepted and read by unauthorized parties during transit or while stored on servers. There are several potential risks associated with email:

-Interception: Emails can be intercepted by unauthorized parties while they are being transmitted over the internet, either through hacking into the email servers or using tools like packet sniffers.

-Server security: Emails are stored on servers, which can be vulnerable to hacking or data breaches. If an attacker gains access to an email server, they can potentially read all of the stored emails.

-Phishing scams: Email is a common tool used by phishing scammers to trick people into revealing sensitive information, such as passwords and financial information.

-Malware: Email can also be used to spread malware, such as viruses, Trojans, and ransomware, which can compromise the security of a user's device or steal sensitive information.

However, it is possible to reduce the risks associated with email by using encryption, such as SSL/TLS encryption for transit and end-to-end encryption for storage, in the case of Gmail uses server-based encryption, which means that email messages are encrypted while they're in transit between Gmail servers and while they're stored on Google's servers.
With server-based encryption, the encryption keys are managed by the server and not by the individual users, which simplifies the process of encrypting and decrypting email messages. This also allows Google to perform various security and privacy measures, such as automatically scanning emails for spam and malware.
It's important to note, however, that encryption in transit does not protect against someone who has access to your email account or someone who has intercepted an unencrypted copy of your email messages as they exist on a server or device.

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You are the product

In the topic of DeGoogle let's start with why Gmail Service is not a good option for those who are looking for privacy:

-Data collection:

Gmail is owned by Google, which is known for collecting and analyzing vast amounts of data on its users. This data is used to target advertisements and other content to users, and it can also be shared with third parties.

-Content scanning:

Gmail scans the contents of emails to deliver targeted advertisements, to filter spam and malware, and to provide other services. This means that Google can access the contents of your emails, which can raise privacy concerns.

-Third-party access:

Gmail is subject to third-party access, which means that the US government and other organizations can request access to your emails if they have a valid legal reason to do so.

-Lack of encryption:

Although Gmail uses encryption to protect email messages in transit, it does not use end-to-end encryption, which means that Google has access to the contents of your emails, even when they are stored on their servers.

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Now that we have talk about the main points why Gmail is not a good option for privacy email service lets talk about the options:

You basically only have three options when it comes to privacy services, each more complex than the other:

-Do not use EMail, caution when utilizing email as a mode of communication, as it has been explained that email by nature is insecure. This insecurity is evident from multiple perspectives, and regardless of the specific provider or platform, privacy remains a persistent concern with regards to email communication.

-Use an EMail service which focuses on privacy, there are many options but just to mention some of them Tutanota and Protonmail.

-Run your own Email Server, then you acquire by default all the vulnerabilities and responsibilities or even become a target same as any other EMail service provider.

Although utilizing an email service that prioritizes privacy is a step in the right direction, it is important to acknowledge that no system is immune to potential security breaches. Human error and imperfections in code and programming languages can leave even the most secure systems vulnerable. Therefore, it is crucial to exercise caution and employ additional security measures to mitigate the risk of compromise, regardless of the email service utilized.

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Now let's talk about your options:

-Do not use Email, you are probably better using a self host chat service, it's usually fairly easy to setup and maintain, nowadays Matrix is becoming fairly easy.
-Use an EMail service which focuses on privacy:

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Tutanota and ProtonMail offer several privacy and security features that are not available in Gmail, including:

-End-to-end encryption: Both Tutanota and ProtonMail use end-to-end encryption to secure your emails, which means that your emails are encrypted on your device and can only be decrypted on the recipient's device. This provides a high level of security and privacy, as the contents of your emails cannot be intercepted or read by anyone, including the email service provider. Although you must take into consideration that this changes when it comes to use the web interface, it's more vulnerable to man in the middle attacks, if you can always use the client depending on your device or platform.

-Zero-knowledge architecture: Both Tutanota and ProtonMail follow a zero-knowledge architecture, which means that they do not have access to the encryption keys or to the contents of your emails. This means that your emails cannot be read by anyone, including the email service provider. It is important to understand that even encrypted email can potentially reveal certain sensitive information, as the extent of protection depends on various technical and situational factors. However, encrypted email services, such as those offered by ProtonMail and Tutanota, represents a significant improvement in privacy compared to traditional unencrypted email services, and should be considered a necessary step towards ensuring privacy.

-Privacy-friendly jurisdiction: Both Tutanota and ProtonMail are based in privacy-friendly jurisdictions (Germany and Switzerland, respectively), which have strong privacy laws and regulations that require the email service provider to protect the privacy of its users.

In comparison, Gmail is not an end-to-end encrypted email service, which means that the contents of your emails are not encrypted on your device or on the recipient's device. Additionally, Gmail is based in the United States, which has weaker privacy laws and regulations compared to privacy-friendly jurisdictions like Germany and Switzerland. Gmail does offer two-factor authentication, but it does not follow a zero-knowledge architecture and does not provide the same level of privacy and security as Tutanota and ProtonMail.


Run your own EMail Server to host your email:

Running your own email server can be a complex and time-consuming process, and it is often not practical for the average user. There are several reasons why this is the case:
-Technical expertise: Setting up and maintaining an email server requires a significant amount of technical knowledge and expertise. The average user may not have the skills or resources necessary to manage an email server, particularly if they are not familiar with network administration, email protocols, and security best practices.
-Cost: Running an email server can be expensive, as it requires both hardware and software investments. The cost of the necessary hardware and software, as well as the electricity required to run the server, you may think “ok I will rent a vps”, the point of running a server is to own the data meaning its contradictory.
-Time: Setting up and maintaining an email server is a time-consuming process that requires ongoing attention and management. This can be a burden for the average user, who may have other demands on their time.
-Reliability: Email is a mission critical service for many individuals and businesses. If an email server goes down or experiences other problems, it can result in significant downtime and lost productivity. Maintaining a reliable email server can be challenging, particularly for an individual with limited technical resources.
-Security: Running an email server requires a significant amount of security knowledge and attention, as it is a prime target for hackers. You will also require the proper hardware to keep your server secure.
Most average home users and businesses decide to use commercial email services, such as Gmail, that offer the benefits of email without the technical and financial burden of running their own server.

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**To put an end to this explanation besides all this best practices:**


-Every service provider potentially logs your ip address, from the fact that you trust something emerges the possibility that it's doing the opposite, this applies to anything online.
-Peer to Peer encryption can only be 100% true if both sender and recipient are within the same service provider.
-EMail is not private.

Not everything is bad, as mention the focus of this guides is to explain why its important to move away from services like Google and provide you options, if you would like to keep your data private, if not then there is no harm, Google services are extremely convenient and thats the battle we are loosing, privacy is exchange for convenience.


Previous Articles on Deggogle:
Start to DeGoogle
@skiptvads/start-to-degoogle-yes-its

Conscious YouTube Users
@skiptvads/why-invidious-is-a-must

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