• Please be sure to read the rules and adhere to them. Some banned members have complained that they are not spammers. But they spammed us. Some even tried to redirect our members to other forums. Duh. Be smart. Read the rules and adhere to them and we will all get along just fine. Cheers. :beer: Link to the rules: https://www.forumsforums.com/threads/forum-rules-info.2974/

is our email secure?

JimVT

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
I got an email from a neighbor about harbor freight plasma cutters. I returned saying stuff about them. now I see an advertisement for the plasma cutter.
I never did any searches and never said anything about them any other place till now.
must have been a coincidence that it happened.
jim
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
That is strange. I know I have clicked on a link on another site and for the next month I'll see an ad at the top of the page here for the same item. cookies can cause that. But how would it know anything from you just emailing. That I had not heard of. :eek:
 

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Master of Distraction
Staff member
SUPER Site Supporter
If your email goes through a big free provider (i.e. Gmail, Yahoo, MS, Hotmail, ...) then it is going to be parsed for targeted advertising.

If you want truly secure email you need to look outside the US (tutanota.com, protonmail.com) but if the sender/recipient is using one of the big free providers then you will still get targeted (unless you use a browser like Tor and block images and javascript).

Basically, the big free providers just drop a hidden image or code into the email that they use to identify you. Then when you navigate around they use the words they parsed from your email to target ads to you.
 

squerly

Supported Ben Carson
GOLD Site Supporter
Yep, this ^^^^

You agree to allow them and their "affiliates" to use your data, that's why the service is free. I haven't read Google's privacy policy but I've read Yahoo's and in turn for allowing them to bury you in advertisements you agree to let them use you personal data for targeted advertisement.

Each email you send is scanned and if something is found, i.e. "Hey John, I'm looking for some parts for my snow plow" then you are going to see targeted adds about snowplows. TOR works well to hide you and there are other email services (like unseen) that will also get the job done.
 

pirate_girl

legendary ⚓
GOLD Site Supporter
I have Hushmail and am pretty sure it's secure.
Never know tho.
The only junk I get is something from Kohl's but that's only because I signed on at the store for a discount one time and the woman asked for an email, and they keep sending me offers for last minute deals for Christmas.
Delete. Good bye!
 

Catavenger

New member
SUPER Site Supporter
If you use the Startpage search engine they have something called "Startmail" you have to pay for it. The link for it is on the top right of that page.

https://www.startpage.com/

Or you could use half a dozen (or more) email address and search engines & type in things that I have no interest in to confuse them.
 

JimVT

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
I been with aol from the early dialup days but done away with the phone part,same account . thanks for the heads up on this.
jim
 
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