According to a Radicati report, there are over 3.9 billion email users worldwide. Every day, they are sending and receiving 300 billion emails. And yes, if you have a Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook account, you are among them.
But consider how much information you give about yourself with each email message you send via any of these.
Is it worth it?
What if you could make your email messages much more private and anonymous?
You can, and I will show you how to send an anonymous email without being traced.
Why is Gmail Not Private (And Why You Can’t Send Anonymous Email Without Phone Number)
But first, let’s show you why Gmail is not anonymous or private.
I will create a new Google Account to drive the point home.
To create a new Google Account (and get a new Gmail address, you need to go to this page:
I’ll be using a randomly generated name for this.
Okay, so far so good. You don’t have to use your real name to sign up.
But here’s what happens when you click the “Next” button:
That’s right. Google asks you for your phone number to “verify it’s you.”
This can be used to identify you, and you can say goodbye to being anonymous while using Gmail.
Can You Send an Anonymous Email Without an IP Address or Phone Number?
As you can see, even if you use a fake name to sign in to Gmail, you still need to give them a phone number.
You can use a fake number through a free SMS verification service. The problem is that even if you find one that works with Gmail properly, it still won’t matter.
That’s because your IP address can still be used to track you.
An IP or Internet Protocol address is a unique address given to each device connected to the network. It usually comes in the form that looks like this: 89.216.156.140.
What is an IP address for?
Well, just like you need an address to a physical location, your device on the Internet needs an IP address to send and receive data over the network.
The problem is that you don’t always want others to know your IP address. For example, you may not want to reveal your IP address if you’re trying to send an anonymous email without registration.
This is because an IP address can be used to trace your location, and an email will reveal it.
And that’s easier to do than you think. All you have to do is find an email of a person you want to know the IP of, click on the three dots button (“More”) next to the “Reply” arrow, and select “Show Original.”
Now, in the next window, look for a line of text beginning with “Received: from,” At the end of that line, you’ll see a series of numbers, such as 54.174.52.33. That will be your IP address.
How much will your IP address reveal about you?
A lot, Not the least of which is your geographical location.
A simple geolocation IP service can show the following:
- What country are you in?
- What city or town do you browse from
- Your Zip Code.
- Both your latitude and longitude.
- Your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
- Even your Internet speed.
Thankfully, no GeoIP location service is 100% accurate, meaning they still can’t tell your exact street address.
Why is it a problem if someone knows your IP address?
Someone finding out your IP address is not a big deal. GeoIPs are based on public information that anyone has access to.
An IP itself is not a secret. For 99% of people, it doesn’t matter if someone finds their IP.
What if you are in that 1% that absolutely must keep their identity hidden when emailing someone? Your IP can be used with other data, like what websites you visit, which can reveal too much information about you.
Is there a way to send anonymous emails without an IP address?
If you are using Gmail, I will have to disappoint you. You can’t send anonymous emails without the IP address.
Of course, this doesn’t have to be your IP address. You can use either of these to hide your actual IP address:
- Don’t use the Internet at home
- Use a VPN service
- Use a Proxy server
- Or, use a Tor browser
The problem is that a public WiFi address is not secure (usually no encryption). As for the other three, it might not be easy to configure them correctly if you don’t know what you’re doing.
That leaves an anonymous email service like Sympa that is dedicated to your privacy and anonymity.
Why Do You Need to Use Sympa Instead of Gmail?
Unlike Gmail, which uses every opportunity to trace and collect data from you, Sympa strongly values your privacy.
Here’s a Sympa sign-up page:
As you can see, there’s no phone or SMS verification here. You can leave a recovery email if you forget your Sympa password, but that’s optional.
Okay, but what about your IP address? Can this still be used to trace you with Sympa?
No. Sympa will remove your real IP from the emails you send, which will be untraceable to you.
The email recipient will not be able to see your IP address, and even Sympa won’t know your IP.
Anyone you send an email message through Sympa will only see Sympa’s IP address and not yours.
Unlike other privacy email services, Sympa provides complete anonymity by not requiring a phone number upon registration and allowing anonymous payments through Monero and auto-payments via Bitcoin and cards.
Finally, Sympa won’t monitor, store, log, or share anything from you, including your IP address.
Are you ready to take complete control of your privacy? Sign up for Sympa today.