Whether you need to communicate anonymously for a good cause or want to stay anonymous because of your job, there are various reasons why you might be looking for some privacy and anonymity when communicating with others online.
The good news is that there are various services online that allow you to send emails anonymously. You can send messages using various platforms without the need to worry about being traced.
Creating a New Email Account to Anonymously Send Email
The easiest and often safest way to send an email anonymously is to set up a new email account that is not related to your original email account in any way. This is a popular method among those who don’t want to use an anonymous email service. You can sign up for any email service such as Gmail or Outlook, for example, using an anonymous name and email address.
How to Send an Anonymous Email With an Alias
Microsoft Outlook is a popular email service that allows anybody to create an alias. This is a new email address that you can use under the same account and is very handy if you want to send emails anonymously but under your business name rather than your personal name, for example. Since you do not need to sign up with a unique user ID, this allows you to have all your emails in the same place along with taking advantage of the benefits of your original email account.
Use an Anonymous Email Service
You can use services that are designed for sending anonymous emails such as AnonymousEmail.me if you don’t want the inconvenience of signing up for a new email account. All you need to do to take advantage of this service is enter the recipient’s email address, subject line, and the content of the email message that you want to send. There’s also no way that this can be tracked since you are not registering.
Send Email and Secure Mail are other examples of anonymous email services that you can use to send an email without uncovering your identity. They are both simple and easy to use. Secure Mail uses 4096-bit key encryption, which makes any inbound emails unreadable to anybody except yourself.
You can also use TorGuard, a free email service with various privacy and cryptography features that maintain one hundred percent anonymity along with a large amount of storage once you register free of charge. Another option to consider is Guerrilla Mail, which works in a similar way to Snapchat, with a system in place that destroys messages once they have been read.
Use a VPN
You can use various VPN services such as NordVPN andExpressVPN that are designed to let you access websites that are blocked in your region and to make your online activity untraceable. You can also find certain VPN-based email services that allow you to send email messages anonymously without leaving any trails behind.
Top Reasons to Send Anonymous Emails
There are various reasons why somebody might want to send an email anonymously. Some of the main reasons why somebody might be considering a service to send emails without being identified or traced include:
Avoid Tracking and Spam
Whenever you log into a website or platform with your personal email address, you are giving this personal information away to be used however the company likes. Some large tech companies will even collect your personal information and sell it on to third parties or use it for their own advertising. While sometimes there are benefits to being added to an email marketing list, many people want to try and avoid spam messages in their primary email account. The best way to do this is to use a different email address that you don’t really care about. A burner email that does not involve any real personal details along with a VPN and private browser can help you avoid third-party trackers.
Working in a Public-Facing Role
People in a career that regularly places them in the public eye such as law enforcement or politics may be instructed to use an anonymous email account when sending emails.
Such people may also need to use an anonymous email account for online communications, since they have to communicate with sources and share findings in potentially sensitive cases or investigations (e.g., law enforcement transcription documents) and may want or have to keep their real name out of things.
Journalists may also need to use an anonymous email account for online communications since they have to communicate with sources and share findings in potentially sensitive investigations and may want to keep their real name out of things.
Countries With Oppressive Regimes
While people in the UK do not need to worry much when it comes to what they do online if they are not breaking the law, some people around the world live in countries where their online activity is tracked by the government, including the emails that they send. It is not surprising that many people who live under this kind of regime decide to set up an anonymous email address or an untraceable email address to avoid having the content of the emails they sent read by people that the message was not intended for.
Whistleblowing or Sending Risky Information
Whistle-blowers are people who expose certain information from private settings to the public, such as Edward Snowden, who is currently one of the most well-known whistle-blowers worldwide. A whistle-blower could also be somebody who makes information about malpractice in their company known, for example. People who send emails that contain sensitive or dangerous information may be putting themselves at risk and may be faced with retaliation in the form of being blacklisted, fired, or sued if their identity is known, which makes it extremely important for some whistle-blowers to make sure that their identity is protected.
Is It Legal to Send an Email Anonymously?
Sending an email anonymously is not illegal. However, the potential contents of the email might be. If you are sending a message that breaks the law in your country, then the message itself would be considered illegal, however, the way that it is sent would not be.
How to Create an Untraceable Email Address
Using an anonymous email provider along with a good VPN service is the best way to create a completely untraceable email address. You may also want to use these services with the Tor browser to make sure that your IP address and personal information are completely hidden.
Can You Use Google to Send Anonymous Emails?
You can send anonymous emails using Gmail by setting up a burner email with fake information. However, this is not the most private way of sending an email and is usually advised against. This is because in order to verify the account, you will need to provide a phone number. Google can still obtain information, your online activity, and your location from your phone number.
How To Create An Anonymous Email Account
The first step to creating an anonymous email account is to choose an email provider that allows you to send emails anonymously. Once you have chosen the right one for you, choose a username and password. Avoid entering your personal email address if you are asked to provide a different email address to recover your information, as this will make it less private.
What is a Burner Email?
A burner email refers to an account that is created for a singular and often temporary purpose, such as for signing up to various online platforms or sending one anonymous email. You can use almost any email service provider to create a burner account but use a secure email service provider if you want additional privacy. This allows you to use an email account that does not trace back to you, for additional privacy, along with extra security on any emails you send.
Tips for Sending Anonymous Emails Successfully
Now that you have an idea of the basics of sending emails anonymously, it’s a good idea to keep some security tips in mind to better protect your personal information and identity online. To stay protected no matter why you are sending emails anonymously, keep these tips in mind:
- Mask your IP address by using a VPN before signing up or signing into your secure email service.
- Don’t use your home Wi-Fi network to access your anonymous email; instead, use public Wi-Fi hotspots.
- If you want to send an anonymous email, create a new email account or burner email.
- Don’t use any information that could be traced back to you or your email address such as your location, name, or date of birth. For the email address itself, the best option is to use a random string of characters.
- Use fake personal information such as a fake first and last name when signing up for your email address.
- Avoid using your personal phone number to verify your email address. If possible, use a service that allows you to skip this step.
- Don’t include any personal information in any of the emails that you send and avoid attaching any files that might contain personal information.
There are various reasons why somebody might want to send an email anonymously. Whether it’s because of your job or due to the fact that you don’t want the information to be traced back to you, there are various services that allow you to do this.
