What happens when we forget our website passwords and need to reset them? We click the ‘forgot your password?’ link, which triggers the reset process. Almost always, that action sends reset instructions to our emails. But how safe is our information on email platforms – particularly when the service is being offered at zero charges to its users?
Cybercrime is at an all-time high, and emails are especially susceptible to security breaches. Email is increasingly becoming the central hub for all our online activities, including password resets, payment and billing information, and personal data. But our reliance on email services has opened a gateway for cybercriminals to steal our data via phishing attacks, whaling messages, fraudulent government scams, and full data breaches.
Although email is the heart of our online security, it remains a service that few people actually pay for. People assume that the big corporations which provide free email services and hold all of their personal data have their best interests at heart. But most of the big companies that provide free email services – such as Yahoo, Outlook and Gmail and iCloud- systematically monitor email content and collect data in order to profit from it in any way they can. Google has even publicly admitted to scanning Gmail addresses to compile a list of your purchases, using this data to influence our purchasing decisions. Put simply, if you’re not paying, then you’re the product.
Open Web Systems is a different kind of email provider. Co-owned by its users, it provides surveillance-free email and document storage, with military-grade security and encryption. Its secure and encrypted email service costs you £4 a month – a little more than the price of a cup of coffee.
An Open Web Systems email address is just like any other IMAP email account, and it only takes seconds to set it up on iPhone or Android. What’s more, you can easily forward all existing emails to your new @openweb.systems email address, meaning your old email address will no longer be required and your online activities will be more secure.
