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Two weeks ago someone used my personal email (very unique name) to apply for a checking account with First Citizens Bank. I thought it was a phishing thing so I ignored it, but I kept getting email reminders and today I got a message saying that "Your new First Citizens Free Checking account is now ready to use" with account details, including the name of the account holder. More inside. [more inside]
posted by The Adventure Begins on Nov 7, 2022 - 8 answers

Next time I visit China, how can I participate in economic activity while at the same time maintaining some degree of privacy? [more inside]
posted by Dansaman on May 12, 2022 - 4 answers

What is the current (start of 2020) best email service for me? I need private low-cost low-bells-and-whistles email. My main concern is that the company be in business for at least the next five years and have web access to my inbox. After that, standard email should do fine. Private does not necessarily mean encrypted, I just don't want anyone parsing my email as a matter of course.
posted by OmieWise on Dec 31, 2019 - 28 answers

Can Android link your phone account to your other google accounts? eg if you log into another account using a mail app? Is there any way to stop this? [more inside]
posted by maiamaia on Apr 20, 2018 - 8 answers

If an unpaid, volunteer, representative is an issued an email under their name, do they have any expectation to privacy related to email communications? (can the company that gave them the email monitor or read the email communications at any time?)
posted by Unsomnambulist on Jun 20, 2017 - 5 answers

I am looking for another free/cheap web mail app that I can use to contact the ten people I normally correspond with. Any recommendations? [more inside]
posted by craniac on Aug 26, 2014 - 13 answers

I know there are a variety of options out there, but I'm having a hard time sifting through the information myself. [more inside]
posted by snarfles on Nov 14, 2013 - 7 answers

I find myself in exactly the situation of this recent poster, with one difference: My girlfriend knows that I snooped but hasn't confronted me, and I haven't confessed. What now? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 27, 2013 - 23 answers

Lavabit's Ladar Levinson was recently quoted as follows: "I'm taking a break from email. If you knew what I know about email, you might not use it either." Why would Levinson warn other people off using email? He's not just saying, "Be careful how you use email," but, "It's probably a good idea not to use email at all. I'm taking a break from it myself." [more inside]
posted by paleyellowwithorange on Aug 13, 2013 - 20 answers

I'm curious as to what the protocol is for police being able to access the email accounts of someone who has gone missing. If the person has no living relatives to grant permission, can the police still access the missing person's email? How many days does someone have to be missing before the police are allowed to read their private emails?
posted by egeanin on Jun 26, 2013 - 8 answers

I think my old email just got hacked. I received some spam, from my old email address itself, (and the "From" part had my name and email, even though I didn't send it, as the spammer did) and about a dozen "unable to deliver" messages from my old email's "mailer daemon" (this is on yahoo). In those messages and the email that was successfully delivered to me on the old email and my newer accounts, it lists countless numbers of other people and contacts, including high school teachers, bosses, family, friends, potential employers, and even friends of exes. Most of these people aren't even in my contacts list, but I still have emails from them/to them (this is an old but relatively recent email that I've kept for nostalgic reasons). I am mortified that all of these people, none of whom I've spoken to recently in at least the past couple of years (and in some cases, longer), got this spam from "me" out of the blue. Should I delete this email address, in case it may be compromised by a hacker? Should I email these people to apologize, even though we no longer are in touch? I have already changed the password and don't know what to do. Any help would be so appreciated. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 10, 2013 - 17 answers

What are the laws and or regulations about "possession" of employee/company email after an employee is terminated? [more inside]
posted by ascetic on Dec 27, 2012 - 13 answers

A friend has had an old Hotmail account hacked. The hacker used information in the archives there to access a YouTube account where apparently some compromising videos were uploaded. The hacker copied the videos to another YouTube account, and then sent links to the videos to my friend's family - and worse still, to members of the executive board of the nonprofit organization by whom my friend is (was?) employed. He reached out desperately to me, but I know nothing but the most basic things about Internet security and privacy law... [more inside]
posted by OneMonkeysUncle on Jul 31, 2012 - 13 answers

Gmail just asked me if I wanted to import all my mail from another email account of mine. How can I figure out if I've ever told Gmail I own this account? Or is this just google being creepy as hell again? [more inside]
posted by Diablevert on Feb 28, 2012 - 1 answer

How anonymous is my anonymous gmail account? [more inside]
posted by argonauta on May 25, 2011 - 21 answers

Is there a Gmail tool that will automatically change the subject line of certain incoming emails, in order to enhance privacy? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 18, 2010 - 12 answers

Am I being paranoid about Outlook email, Microsoft and privacy? [more inside]
posted by aqsakal on May 25, 2010 - 9 answers

What is good shared email account etiquette? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 23, 2009 - 33 answers

Is it appropriate to use an email address given as a part of a donation to send a short thank you note, when the person making the donation through my website did not consent to me using their email address? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 29, 2009 - 14 answers

A couple of people at my company have accidently sent emails to groups of contacts using the To: field rather than the Bcc: field against company policy. What are the legal ramifications? [more inside]
posted by talkingmuffin on Jun 23, 2009 - 15 answers

Facebook gives you the option of looking through your private email contacts (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) to see if you're not connected to them through the social networking site yet. Why are they keeping my login information on hand? [more inside]
posted by scarykarrey on Jun 1, 2009 - 14 answers

I would like to write & sell erotica online. What do I need to know about maintaining my privacy? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Feb 13, 2009 - 8 answers

I love Gmail, but with all the security and privacy concerns, I'm thinking of bailing. Whereto next? [more inside]
posted by melissam on Dec 25, 2007 - 15 answers

I think my boss is spying on my computer. Complicated info follows... [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 9, 2007 - 28 answers

Inbox privacy at work. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 20, 2006 - 19 answers

How concerned should I be about email/net privacy? [more inside]
posted by TetrisKid on May 26, 2006 - 7 answers

Why did email encryption never catch on? Is it a matter of laziness or are there sinister conspiracies at work?
posted by skryche on Nov 10, 2005 - 27 answers

Is it legal to post someone else's email address on a public website? [more inside]
posted by sjvilla79 on Apr 22, 2005 - 10 answers