Sending an anonymous email involves more than simply leaving out your personal details. Every move you make online leaves a trace, and if you truly want to stay anonymous, you need to know which details can reveal your identity and how to hide them. In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to send an anonymous email, why it might be necessary, and which trusted services can help keep you private.
Your ISP can see what you do online, making it hard to send anonymous emails. To stop them from tracking you, you need to take extra steps. CyberGhost VPN encrypts your internet traffic, so your ISP won’t be able to see or monitor your activity.
What Is an Anonymous Email?
An anonymous email is exactly what it sounds like: an email that hides your identity. When you send an anonymous email, there’s no trace of who you are. No name, no location, and no IP address to tie the message back to you. It’s a way to communicate without anyone being able to link the email to your personal details.
How Does an Anonymous Email Work?
Anonymous email services work by keeping your personal information out of the equation. They don’t ask for your name, address, or phone number when you sign up. Your messages are encrypted, meaning even if someone intercepts them, they won’t be able to read what you’ve sent. Plus, these services often mask your IP address, so your location stays hidden too.
Why Do You Need an Anonymous Email?
Being able to send untraceable emails can be extremely useful. And having an email address that’s not directly linked to your identity enhances your overall digital privacy.
But let’s face it – not everyone needs to send secret emails. However, in some lines of work, it’s essential. Let’s take a look at 5 reasons you might want to use private email services:
1. Protect Yourself When Writing About Sensitive Topics
According to the World Press Institute, journalism is one of the world’s most dangerous jobs. If you’re a journalist who covers sensitive issues like civil unrest, corruption, or even war, it’s essential to protect your identity when communicating. Anonymous emails let you communicate and share information without exposing yourself to surveillance. It’s a tool every investigative journalist needs for working in risky environments.
2. Fight for Human Rights and Free Speech
Press freedom is important to sustain a well-functioning society. Sometimes, that requires you to keep your identity secret. For democracy, free speech, and human rights advocates, anonymity can be a lifeline.
Many oppressive regimes closely monitor emails if they suspect that you’re criticizing the government. This can put you in danger. Using an anonymous email hides your identity, so you can speak freely and connect with others fighting for the same causes.
Sadly, nowadays people need to fight hard to stay private – privacy is a human right. As Ted Kennedy once said: “The right to privacy is at the heart of our liberty.”
3. Blow the Whistle on Unethical Behavior
Whistleblowers help to keep the public informed about corporate and governmental malpractice. An anonymous email provides a safe way to report wrongdoing without risking your career, reputation, or personal safety.
CyberGhost VPN uses powerful encryption so your ISP can’t see what you do online. It also masks your IP address and hides your location to make it harder to trace your online activity back to you. You can connect up to 7 devices at once so you can protect all your main devices.
4. Avoid Government Surveillance
If you live in a country where your government tracks everything you do, an anonymous email service can help you stay more private. Internet surveillance happens everywhere.
You might prefer using an email that isn’t directly linked to your real name, phone number, and address. When you use it to set up accounts, you’ll be more anonymous than if you use Gmail or Yahoo.
5. Keep Tech Giants from Reading Your Emails
Even in countries without oppressive regimes, tech giants like Google often scan the contents of your emails and track your online behavior. This data is used to build a profile on you, which can then be sold to advertisers or used to shape the ads you see.
Threats like these are enough to make you want to deGoogle your life entirely, but for most of us, the convenience of using Google is too big a trade-off. However, does that mean we have to use it for everything?
If you don’t want Google to read your private communications, anonymous email services can help you keep your private communication private.
Two Easy Ways to Send an Anonymous Email
You can send anonymous emails in a couple of ways. The first way is to use an anonymous email service, and the second way is to set up a Gmail account using a fake name. Let’s take a look at both ways.
1. Send Untraceable Emails with an Anonymous Email Provider
- Choose an anonymous email service. Select a secure service like ProtonMail or Tutanota. These providers don’t ask for personal details when you sign up and they encrypt your emails.
- Set up an account. When you set up your account, don’t use your real name. Avoid using any personal information and create a strong password.
- Use a private browser. Brave is a great private browser with many great built-in anti-tracking features. But in extreme circumstances, you might want to email through Tor.
- Encrypt your traffic with a VPN. To stop your ISP from surveilling you, use a VPN to encrypt your internet traffic and mask your ISP address and virtual location.
Some VPNs keep tabs on your online activity and sell your data to third parties for profit. If you need to send untraceable emails, it’s important to choose a VPN that handles data responsibly. CyberGhost VPN adheres to a strict no-logs policy. This means we never store data about your online activity. Our policy has been independently audited by Deloitte so you know you can trust it.
2. Send Anonymous Emails Using Gmail
Gmail is not inherently private – by any stretch. When you set up a Gmail account, they ask for all your personal information. It’s not strictly against Google’s terms of service to use email aliases. Although, they do strongly encourage you to use your real name. Google are strictly against impersonation – so don’t pretend to be another real person.
Follow these steps to send (mostly) anonymous emails with Gmail:
- Set up an anonymous Gmail account. Create a new Gmail account using a name that doesn’t link to your real identity. Do it in a private browser and use a burner phone for the phone number verification step.
- Use a VPN to hide your IP address. On top of using a private browser and a fake name, use a VPN to mask your real IP address and IP location. A VPN will also encrypt your internet traffic to prevent snoops like cybercriminals or your ISP from seeing what you do.
Note: Gmail Still Tracks Device Info
Even with these precautions, Google may still track data like your device’s information, which includes hardware details, screen resolution, and other identifiers. Using a private browser and a VPN minimizes this, but it’s important to know that Gmail is not a fully anonymous email service.
If you’re logged into a Google Chrome account, they may still track certain information, such as device data. Since all this information is what creates digital fingerprinting, it can still be traced back to your identity if you’re using your regular device and don’t take extra measures.
5 Top Tips for Sending Anonymous Emails
If you’re serious about keeping your emails truly anonymous, there are a few extra steps you can take to minimize the chances of being traced:
1. Use a Burner Phone for Verification
Many email services, including Gmail, require phone number verification. If you want to keep your identity completely separate from your email account, use a burner phone number for this step. There are plenty of services that let you get temporary numbers for free, like Google Voice or Burner.
2. Consider Using Disposable Email Addresses
For one-time communications, disposable email addresses can be a great option. Services like Guerrilla Mail or 10 Minute Mail let you create a temporary, anonymous email address that automatically expires after a short time. This way, you don’t even need to worry about long-term anonymity—perfect for sending a single email without a trace.
3. Be Mindful of Subtle Clues in Your Email
You might think sharing a small detail, like your location or job title, is harmless—but these small tidbits can add up. Even if you don’t use your real name, talking about a specific event, workplace, or city could link back to your identity. For example, discussing a particular company you work for or a unique hobby could narrow down who you are.
4. Clear Your Browser’s History
It’s not just about the email service or VPN. After you’ve sent your anonymous email, clear your browser’s history, cookies, and cache. That way, you’re not leaving behind a trail that could potentially be traced back to you.
5. Use an Encrypted Messaging App for Extra Security
If you need to have ongoing anonymous conversations, encrypted messaging apps like Signal or Telegram provide another layer of privacy. While not email-based, these apps allow you to message securely without revealing your identity.
FAQ
Yes, you can send anonymous emails by using an encrypted email account from a provider focused on privacy, like ProtonMail, Tutanota, or Mailfence. These services encrypt your emails and don’t track your activity.
For maximum privacy, connect to CyberGhost VPN before creating and using your email account. This will give you added protection by hiding your IP address and encrypting your traffic.
An anonymous email account hides your identity, doesn’t track your activity, and encrypts your emails so no one can trace them back to you. However, using public Wi-Fi can still put your data at risk.
To make your emails untraceable, sign up for an anonymous email account from providers like ProtonMail or Tutamail. These services don’t track your data and offer features like email aliases and self-destructing messages for added privacy.
The short answer – yes, probably. Even if you take steps to create a fake Gmail account, Google can still track information about your device and location to link activity back to you. This is especially true if you use Google Chrome.
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