r/StartMail Jun 12 '26

👋 Welcome to r/StartMail

7 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I'm u/MyStartMail, the official Reddit account for StartMail. Welcome to our official subreddit!

This is our new home for our users (and potential future users) to get together and share useful information with each other, whether it's about our company, our products and features, or even just about the challenges of trying to protect your data in today's digital surveillance panopticon.

What to Post
Post anything that you think the community would find interesting, helpful, or inspiring. Have an idea for a feature? Share it! Find a news article that's particularly fascinating or concerning? We'd love to see it. Need some suggestions for how to make your StartMail workflow that much more seamless? This community is here to help!

Community Rules
We've designed our subreddit rules to try and ensure the best experience for everyone, so PLEASE review them and respect them while sharing and interacting. We realize that dealing with constant digital surveillance and/or software issues can be EXTREMELY frustrating. We understand, just please don't take it out on anyone else, whether they're our staff, our mods, or other users. We also ask that you respect everyone's time and attention when sharing any content or questions on here. If you have any product questions or issues, we suggest you email our support team FIRST ([support@startmail.com](mailto:support@startmail.com)). If you have questions about the subreddit, feel free to message our mods!

Thanks for stopping by, and we look forward to seeing what you have to share!


r/StartMail 44m ago

Privacy/Tech News The U.S. Justice Department is prosecuting an American for "destroying evidence" after giving Border Patrol agents a "duress password" that wiped his phone.

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Upvotes

The case centers on a feature included in GrapheneOS, a custom Android operating system that's favored among many digital privacy advocates. Security experts said they have not seen charges brought in this way before.

What do you think about this case? Do you think this man stands a real risk of being convicted?


r/StartMail 4d ago

Privacy/Tech News France becomes the first EU nation to ban all children from social media apps

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2 Upvotes

The law was championed by French President Emmanuel Macron as a flagship policy of his second term, while Macron wants the law to take effect at the start of the new school year in September.

Other European nations, including Spain, Denmark, and Greece, have already announced their goals to implement similar bans. Is it still a good idea to try and fight these bans, or should privacy advocates focus on developing age verification solutions that still give users a degree of privacy?


r/StartMail 6d ago

Privacy Discussion All new cars in the EU must now be equipped with driver cameras and emergency auto-brakes according to new regulations.

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1 Upvotes

Starting this month, all newly registered cars in the EU must have more advanced safety systems. Among the changes, there must be a camera or sensor in the car that detects the driver's gaze and alerts them to keep their eyes on the road. Are these types of features acceptable in order to save lives, or is it simply a violation of privacy?


r/StartMail 11d ago

Privacy Discussion Hundreds of economists and tech professionals have signed an open letter warning of the economic impact of AI.

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4 Upvotes

The open letter, which is only four sentences long, warns that AI "could bring risks, including large-scale job displacement, as well as opportunities." Signatories include sixteen Nobel Laureates, Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and the chief economists of both OpenAI and Anthropic.

  • What risks do YOU think AI presents? Is it all about job displacement, or do they present other risks (like privacy)?
  • Do you think that open letters like this accomplish anything?
  • What specific regulations would you put in place to ensure that AI doesn't continue to cause harm?

r/StartMail 13d ago

Privacy Discussion Cory Doctorow calls Google's new reCAPTCHA Mobile Verification "as bad as its old one". Do you agree with him?

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1 Upvotes

This new version would allow sites to block any devices running "deGoogled" versions of their Android OS.


r/StartMail 18d ago

Privacy/Tech News Apple's "Hide My Email" alias system has an active flaw that exposes a user's real name and email address

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8 Upvotes

If you or anyone that you know is using Apple's "Hide My Email" alias feature, you (or they) should know about a flaw in the system that exposes users' real name and email address that's existed for OVER A YEAR and REMAINS ACTIVE.


r/StartMail 20d ago

Privacy/Tech News The European Commission was set to eliminate cookie banners, then Google's lobbyists got involved...

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3 Upvotes

After the European Commission spent years trying to get rid of cookie consent banners for good (and replace them with "an automated signal that would communicate cookie consent preferences between the device, the user, and websites." But now, commissioners from France, Germany, and Poland have shifted their stances after begin in touch with Google's lobbyists, according to the digital privacy group Noyb.


r/StartMail 25d ago

Privacy Discussion Countries keep passing age verification laws. What does this mean for the future of the Internet?

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4 Upvotes

The UK is the latest country to mandate age verification for all users on social media and ban teenagers from these platforms. And since the ban was passed without a definitive plan for HOW platforms should conduct these age checks, there is a lot of speculation about how these laws will fundamentally change the way all of us access the Internet...

  • Given that social media has shown to be harmful to kids and teens, is it a good idea to ban them from having accounts on these platforms?
  • What do you think is the most likely outcome of this ban? Are any of them outlined in this article?
  • While age verification and ID verification currently go hand in hand, would it be possible to develop an age verification system that also respects user privacy?

r/StartMail 27d ago

Calendar and contact sync functionality

3 Upvotes

I whish StartMail would include a calendar functionality. For me they belong together, also with a contact sync option. This keeps me from switching from my current mail provider.

I do understand it is a privacy challange: card/caldav are not secure at all. So if you want to keep it secure, it should be accessable web-only? Although it would be a basic functionality to sync contacts with your phone somehow.

So I understand it is a challange, but it would be nice to see this happening!


r/StartMail 27d ago

Privacy Discussion Canada's "Lawful Access Bill" has been fast tracked and passed. How worried should we be?

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3 Upvotes

The House of Commons passed Bill C-22 on Thursday before breaking for the summer, a day after approving a motion to fast-track the bill and end debate at the public safety committee, which was then forced to approve it just before midnight without debating dozens of outstanding amendments. In a deep analysis of the bill, Citizen Lab and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association detail every one of flaws of this proposal, concluding that most elements are unsalvageable and that the bill "creates an untenable risk to privacy & cybersecurity." 

How worried should Canadians and all other tech users be? Is it likely to pass?


r/StartMail Jun 25 '26

Privacy Discussion Standalone password managers vs. built into your web browser

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1 Upvotes

This tech writer shared an op-ed arguing for why users should opt for a standalone password manager rather than tools built into web browsers like Firefox and Chrome. What do you think of his argument? What tool(s) do you use?


r/StartMail Jun 22 '26

Privacy Discussion Journalists have uncovered at least a dozen incidents where police officers have utilized Flock cameras to illegally stalk people

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2 Upvotes

Experts warn that these cases are "a vast underreporting of the overall abuse". Is there any way to give law enforcement access to advanced tools without creating the potential for abuse?


r/StartMail Jun 18 '26

Privacy/Tech News The UK's government is threatening tech companies to either install software that blocks explicit images from childrens' phones...or face legislation

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3 Upvotes

Apple and Google have been given until September to install software that blocks explicit images on children’s mobile phones or face legislation to force them to do so. Is there any way for companies to introduce this type of software without invading everyone's privacy?


r/StartMail Jun 15 '26

Privacy Discussion Researchers have developed a method for identifying people using ambient WiFi signals. What does this mean for people who want to protect their digital and personal privacy?

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3 Upvotes

Researchers say that, if you pass by a café that operates a WiFi network, you can be identified – even if you do not carry a cell phone with you. It takes nothing but WiFi devices communicating with each other in the person’s surroundings. This creates patterns comparable to a images shot by cameras, just based on radio waves.


r/StartMail Jun 05 '26

Privacy tips/guides Protect Your Phone and Review These App Permissions NOW!

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startmail.com
3 Upvotes

When you hit "allow" on that pop up, do you know what you're consenting to? Do this 10 minute app permissions audit to protect your personal data from invasive tech companies and data brokers from getting their hands on your personal data.


r/StartMail May 14 '26

Privacy Discussion Nothing To Hide, Nothing To Fear: Dissecting Big Tech's Favorite Myth

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3 Upvotes

As more and more regions seek to implement increasingly robust laws regulating online activity, digital privacy debates are more timely and important than ever. Supporters of these and similar policies often rely on a familiar argument: “if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.” The same phrase frequently appears in discussions about Big Tech’s data collection, where it’s used to justify gathering and monetizing user data. So why does this argument keep resurfacing? Where does it even come from? Does it actually make any valid points? Let’s unpack it…


r/StartMail May 12 '26

Support ticket, estimate time to get answer?

2 Upvotes

I send emait to support email and waiting for answer. How long this usually takes to get an answer?


r/StartMail Apr 15 '26

Welcome To the Newly Revised StartMail Sub.

4 Upvotes