Email used to be a relaxing and calming experience. Keeping that unread message count at zero by diligently sorting each message into its proper folder was satisfying. My, how times have changed. Now inboxes overflow with unsolicited spam that’s impossible to unsubscribe from. Important messages get lost in the deluge of clutter. How did we get here? Email Aliases might be a solutions for you, let’s drill into this.
The root cause is that our personal email addresses are now used everywhere – for purchases, newsletter signups, at the doctor’s office, on government sites. This unique identifier links all our activities together. And unfortunately, this email address is easily findable online and frequently exposed in data breaches, allowing our personal information to be tracked across the internet.
Data Brokerages Tie Our Digital Lives Together
Data brokerage has become a billion-dollar industry, with our email addresses acting as the glue that ties discreet parts of our digital lives together to form a complete profile. By allowing a single unique identifier to be used for everything we do online, our privacy is put at great risk. This is where burner email addresses and aliases come to the rescue.
Use Email Aliases to Silo Different Aspects of Your Life
Email aliases allow you to have many different addresses that you can use for different purposes. This helps segment your online activities into separate silos, limiting what can be learned about you in aggregate. You can even use a unique email address for every individual contact.
I know what you’re thinking – this sounds completely unmanageable. You want me to create new addresses for everyone I interact with? No need to panic – you don’t actually have to manually create these addresses or manage multiple accounts. Keep reading to understand the simple solutions that give you control of your inbox while maintaining convenience.
You Don’t Need Multiple Accounts or Addresses
To use different email addresses, you don’t need multiple accounts or even create addresses in advance. The two easy-to-implement tools we’ll cover are catch-all email addresses and an alias service called SimpleLogin.
Why Use Email Aliases and Unique Addresses?
There are a few key reasons to use separate addresses rather than giving the same email to everyone:
- Control spam: Filter and block messages sent to specific addresses instead of letting everything hit one crowded inbox.
- Protect privacy: Prevent identity theft by limiting how much someone can learn by accessing one address.
- Spot data selling: See which companies share your data by noticing spam arriving at addresses only given to specific sites.
Unique addresses allow you to dictate what enters your primary inbox. This gives you control over your digital identity and private data.
Option 1: Create a Email Catch-All Email Address
Email Catch-all addresses “catch” any email sent to your domain, regardless of whether the exact address exists.
For example, if you own yourname.com, create an address like [email protected] and enable email catch-all forwarding to it. Now any email sent to an address ending in @yourname.com will get forwarded to your email catch-all inbox.
You can hand out unique addresses on the fly without creating them first. If “Betty’s Flowers” gets breached and your address shared, just filter [email protected] to trash. Your other addresses remain secure.
Email Catch-alls have one limitation – they are receive-only. You can get mail at unlimited addresses but can’t send mail from aliases. For sending capabilities, use our next solution…
Option 2: SimpleLogin Email Aliases
SimpleLogin provides email aliases – essentially masked addresses that forward to your real inbox. Give out an alias instead of your actual email to keep your identity hidden.
SimpleLogin aliases are permanent, come in free and paid tiers, and you keep existing ones even if you stop paying.
Reasons to use SimpleLogin:
- Send mail from your alias using reverse-aliasing that hides your real address
- More privacy by using shared alias domainsvs ones registered to you
- Easily disable email aliases to block future emails
It’s super simple to get started with SimpleLogin:
- Create an account
- Add your real inbox address
- Click Random Alias or New Custom Alias to create new addresses
You can also enable alias catch-all in SimpleLogin for unlimited on-the-fly addresses.
Take Back Control of Your Inbox
Using email catch-all addresses and SimpleLogin aliases allows you to compartmentalize your digital life. Segment contacts and sites into separate addresses to manage spam and security.
The best part is these solutions don’t require managing multiple accounts. All your mail forwards to one primary inbox!
Regain order in your email chaos with these easy tools for Email aliases and unique addresses tailored to each interaction.
