ProtonMail is an open-source email service that offers best-in-class privacy and security features. All of its client applications are open-source as well. You can use it for free and opt for premium upgrades if needed. Whether using it for free or with a subscription, ProtonMail has been an impressive option for privacy and open-source enthusiasts.
In fact, we use it for our team. And, it has been a good service so far!
Now, to make things better, ProtonMail announced a new feature that blocks hidden pixels in emails that often track your activity.
While they claim that it should make your email experience safer, what is it? And, what should you expect from it?
Blocking Tracking Pixels in Emails
As of now, the email tracking happens without the receiver’s consent. Some of the newsletters that you receive, marketing/promotion emails, or just about anything might already contain a hidden tracking pixel that monitors your email activity.
Fret not; the email tracking methods do not compromise the data or your email address. However, these trackers monitor when you open the email, how many times you access it, and the IP address/location associated with it.
So, with this data, the sender can analyze a wide range of things.
While this can be useful for digital marketers, it can give attackers more opportunities to lure you into a scam effectively.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to regulate or ask consent for it. The tracking pixels in emails are all over the place. And, several trustworthy services make use of them as well.
ProtonMail comes to the rescue by blocking these tracking pixels and hiding your IP address or location from third parties in your email.
As you can notice from the screenshot above, the email I received included one tracker.
This feature is enabled by default for every free and premium ProtonMail user.
When you click on the tracking protection icon on the web, here’s what you would see:
And, there can be a variety of trackers that cannot be identified easily and would appear as “Uncategorized Tracker”.
The presence of this feature makes ProtonMail an attractive, privacy-focused email offering. Not to forget, you may not need to opt for expensive solutions like HEY from Basecamp to get rid of email tracking.
What do you think about ProtonMail’s new enhanced tracking protection feature? Let me know your thoughts in the comments down below.
Disclaimer: It’s FOSS is an affiliate partner of ProtonMail. While this does not affect our news reporting stance, we get a small commission if you get a ProtonMail subscription from our link.
