5 On Your Side

Want to protect your privacy online? Consider using a fake email service

Many people use fake names when signing up for a new service online as a way to protect privacy. Turns out, that doesn't do a lot to keep companies from tracking you. But using an alternative or fake email address is an easy and more effective way to minimize tracking.

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By
Monica Laliberte
, WRAL exeuctive producer/5 On Your Side reporter

Many people use fake names when signing up for a new service online as a way to protect their privacy. Turns out, that doesn’t do a lot to keep companies from tracking you.

But using an alternative or fake email address is an easy and more effective way to minimize tracking.

With pretty much every search you make, every website you visit, the people you connect with and everything you do on the internet is tracked and shared by big technology companies.

"One of the main ways that they do it is tying your identity together using your email address," said Consumer Reports tech editor Thomas Germain.

To limit that, Consumer Reports recommends using an alternative or fake email service.

“There are a number of these tools, and they all work a little bit differently, but basically, they give you an alternative email that isn’t tied to your real identity that you can plug in when you’re signing up on a new website," said Germain.

Apple users, try using "Sign in with Apple" when it's available. The option generates a random, unique email address for Apple users. Then, any emails from that site can be forwarded to your regular inbox — without them ever knowing your real address. So you get the emails you need without being tracked.

The Firefox browser offers Firefox Relay, which lets users create up to five fake email addresses for free, or get unlimited ones for 99 cents a month.

"Then there are a number of temporary email services that give you an email inbox you can use, but then it self-destructs after about ten minutes," said Germain.

For most temporary email services, you don’t even have to create an account. 10MinuteMail, Temp-Mail, Minute Inbox and EmailOnDeck are popular services.

One way it can come in handy is when you’re asked for an email address to get an instant online discount.

But the real bonus to using an alternative email address is less spam in your real inbox.

While many people create an extra Gmail or other email account thinking it helps with privacy, Consumer Reports said if you're using the same devices, companies can still easily track and identify you.

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