Being privacy concern i have stopped using email services.
I would self host a server, how about that?
Ask HN: Best alternative to Gmail?
471–480 of 589 posts
Re: Ask HN: Best alternative to Gmail?
#472Can anyone expliain why G Suite (the paid version of Gmail) is not considered safe for data privacy? From the site it says they are encrypted, regularly audited by 3rd parties and not used for ads. https://gsuite.google.com/faq/security/
G Suite isn't private because Google isn't in the privacy or productivity business. It's an advertising company that happens to have a product line which looks like a productivity suite. Charging money for it is just a nifty way to defray the costs of collecting data for advertising purposes.
You should file a False Claims Act then since they are FedRAMP verified for G Suite, unless you're just blowing smoke out of your ass.
Re: Ask HN: Best alternative to Gmail?
#473Earlier quoted context omitted.
One thing to keep in mind about Fastmail is that all their servers are hosted in the US and they have no plan about changing this (I asked). Post-Snowden this means you can be quite sure that all mails will end up being analysed by the US authorities
I'm an European, but I don't mind. First of all when making such a choice, you have to identify who the enemy is. If you're talking about global enemies, like the NSA, then IMO without end-to-end encryption you're screwed. And if you're targeted directly, you're screwed regardless, given they have the capability to use whatever vulnerabilities they can find in your router, your phone, your OS, your browser, etc. If i…
I'm not your enemy. I don't even know you. So please send me your passwords to your online accounts. And I'd like to take a look at your home computer. So please install VNC and open your ports on the router so we don't waste too much time setting it up.
Re: Ask HN: Best alternative to Gmail?
#474What about protonmail?
Re: Ask HN: Best alternative to Gmail?
#475Earlier quoted context omitted.
Those are the guys that don't let you use special chars in passwords "in order to prevent unintentional wrong password entries". Also, it doesn't work on your domain.
>Those are the guys that don't let you use special chars in passwords "in order to prevent unintentional wrong password entries". is that really an issue? using all the special characters (assuming uniform distribution) gives you ~33% more entropy[1] for the same amount of characters, at the expense of increased input time (especially on touch keyboards) and being much harder to remember. why not just make your passw…
my concern here is less on the password effectiveness, and more on the underlying whys
Re: Ask HN: Best alternative to Gmail?
#476Most important thing is to buy a domain so you can port your email address from provider to provider. I’ve had the same email address and several hosts over the years. I’m currently on Fastmail and find the service good.
Although I like the control and portability of having my own domain, as a less technologically-proficient user on a shoestring budget, I've found it more challenging to set up and configure on shared hosting services. There's a need to get your head around things like DNS records, reverse DNS, DKIM, SPF, SpamAssassin, cPanel etc. to stand a reasonable chance of successful delivery and low-maintenance inboxes. I've be…
Fastmail allows you to set them as the DNS provider and they take care of all DNS records for you. Just buy a domain, set their nameservers, and you're good to go.
Re: Ask HN: Best alternative to Gmail?
#477For the self-hosted folks there are: https://mailcow.email/ - dockerized, works with multiple domains, sogo for groupware. Compared to mailinabox's single disk, it has 6 docker volumes to keep track of. https://mailu.io/ - dockerized, it has a section on kubernetes deployments, which i find weird, but I guess could make sense for companies https://mailinabox.email/ - no docker, no multiple domains, roundcube, nextclo…
I would like to add to this list iRedmail: https://www.iredmail.org/
It deploys mail server based on modern software stack on your box and you can customize it to fit your demands using recipes suitable for well-known software.
Re: Ask HN: Best alternative to Gmail?
#478Microsoft Outlook. Works great on-line and in the native app. Works with Apple's email client or Microsoft's on iOS.
Great pricing, can have it on your own domain, and the best calendaring I've ever seen.
Re: Ask HN: Best alternative to Gmail?
#479Earlier quoted context omitted.
But there's nothing to circumvent if the host isn't in the USA.
That’s assuming the wires aren’t tapped, it’s all encrypted and doesn’t pass through the US, they’re not cooperating regardless with the US. If the US puts enough pressure, they could still cave and comply.
My point was that in some cases, it's easier for the NSA to snoop when the target is outside of the USA.
Re: Ask HN: Best alternative to Gmail?
#480Earlier quoted context omitted.
This would be a privacy Vs anonymity tradeoff, right?
They're not cleanly separable. You can tell a lot about a person by simply looking at what's written on the outsides of the envelopes in their mail. No need to actually open them up and read the insides.
Agreed. Anonymity and privacy come from lots of little actions, none of which provide much value on their own.
For example, our return mail address labels don't have our names on them... and I use them on the back of the envelope to seal the envelope.
Our trash and recycling is emptied into our bins loose, so all our trash is not isolated to its own bags, it mingles with the rest of the trash.
Neither of these provide a lot of value on their own, but they're easy to do and provide a little value.