14 DAY TRIAL // DuckDuckGo has just announced that Email Protection, the service that has until now been offered as part of a closed beta program, is now available for all, as the effort has been expanded to the public beta stage.
DuckDuck Email Protection is essentially a free email forwarding service whose purpose is to get rid of email trackers and therefore enhance the privacy of users.
There are two main components that DuckDuck Email Protection comes with.
First and foremost, it’s the standard email feature that allows users to create their own account, something like [email protected].
“Any emails sent here will be stripped of email trackers on our block list and then forwarded to whatever personal email address you provide, arriving at your regular inbox. Within forwarded emails, we’ll tell you how many trackers we’ve removed, what company appears to be behind them, and other helpful information,” DuckDuckGo explains.
Available on Windows, Mac, and mobile
The second component allows users to create a unique Duck address that uses a random account. This works pretty much like disposable email addresses, so users can destroy the email when they no longer need it.
“When you are browsing different websites, DuckDuckGo automatically detects email fields so you have the option to generate a unique Private Duck Address for additional protection against email address profiling,” the company explains.
“Just like your Personal Duck Address, Private Duck Addresses also forward privacy-enhanced emails to your personal inbox. Using a new Private Duck Address every time you’re asked to submit an email address makes it much harder for companies to track you. They can also be individually deactivated at any time, for example if you start receiving spam to one of them.”
The email is available in the DuckDuckGo Mac browser, though the dedicated extension on Windows, or via mobile apps on Android and iPhone.