Email Privacy Tip:
This is a 3-minute read, you'll get a lot of it. Treat yourself to some knowledge:
I've shouted from the rooftops dozens of times that self-hosted email with an open source CLIENT is the best solution for email. You can easily add pgp to your client, and use it if the other person has compatibility.
While you can self-host your own email, you can't pick what provider the other person uses. In this short post, I'll break down if they use Proton. In a different one, I'll discuss if they use Gmail.
Protonmail seems like a honeypot, because they were funded by the EU government (under the Horizons program), go out of their way to collect more data than needed, provide zero metadata protection, and their whole concept of a web app that forces you to give up control of your PGP key, defeats the purpose of end-to-end encryption.
However, you can still get pgp encryption even if you don't use protonmail, but they do. To get the PGP key of the other person use this command, and insert their username in the "user" section at the end:
curl -s 'https://api.protonmail.ch/pks/lookup?op=get&search=user@protonmail.com'
Then your client, (Thunderbird, Evolution, Geary, Seamonkey, Fairmail) will allow you to add their public key. You could add it as a contact, or just start writing an email to them with encryption, and the dialogue should pop-up depending on your client. Make sure to change the protonmail or proton ending.
For proton, if you encrypt the subject to them, it will show up as "..." which will negatively affect cold email response rates. So maybe pick a subject that hooks them in, without revealing the full content of the body.
Now if you're looking for an easy self-hosted email solution, where someone does all the work for you, then hands over full access to your kingdom, check out Simplified Privacy's program,
So we are not really a "host". We're your tech support wingman, so you don't have to do complex work. Other people just complain about how things “ought to be”. I see them for how they are, and only through action can they improve. You should get a self-hosted email, because you can make a difference in your own life, and push us one step closer to a decentralized internet.
Peace, enjoy your day bro.
Cloud Combo Package: Email, Docs, & Chat | Simplified Privacy
Europe is getting even worse:
My friend lost 17 years of her photos, when she was banned from Facebook and Instagram. [1]
AI moderators. The worst part is she was banned by a bot. There was no trial, no appeal, just a robot silencing her entire life.
You don’t have to be famous to be demonetized. Everyone knows about deplatforming, but even more common is demonetizing. Google, Facebook, and even Elon Musk’s supposed free speech X, have not only taken down content, but removed people’s livelihoods and income.
Fake solutions. Many platforms claim to be “censorship resistant” but when push comes to shove, it’s just a regular website. Bitchute has to ban many types of content in the UK.
Government domain names are rented, not owned.
The modern internet is highly centralized, but most people can’t avoid it. Cloudflare, Amazon’s AWS, and Google run the vast majority of websites, which has huge negatives for privacy and free speech. They see nearly all data, and control nearly all content.
In our previous article, we learned that Cloudflare is a CDN or Content delivery network. And most websites point their domain to it. This means they see all your passwords (breaking SSL encryption) and browser fingerprint all visitors. This has undeniable relevance for both free speech and privacy, because they may likely see the sum of all activity in your life.
They see ALL passwords and ALL data, but they’ve been hacked.
But it’s not just data for governments.. Cloudflare can leak users’ locations on Signal, Discord, or other apps.
An attacker can send you a unique image, and then can figure out which CF location you download it from. [2]
Cloudflare decides what you can say. They have a history of dropping DDoS protection for controversial speech. Do you want this company to decide your fate? Even though it’s your website, it’s on their servers. Yet when you ask “freedom tech” influencers about it, they love being controlled so much, you’d think their servers were a dominatrix.
Cloudflare decides what software you can use. They block certain web browsers so you’re easier to fingerprint. Get on your knees and obey.
Cloudflare is a US company, making your website subject to US law even if it’s hosted overseas.
For example they doxxed an anonymous UK blogger, because a UK citizen filed with the US courts.
But Smaller providers can’t give good DDoS protection. You need a lot of money and capacity to adsorb “Distributed Denial of Service” attacks, which is lots of bots hitting your server up to takedown the site. This forces people to use large CDN providers like Cloudflare.
Arweave is the answer.
This decentralized protocol stores data directly on the blockchain, for 100 years at current prices. And if data storage continues to fall, your legacy could live on forever.
Own Your Domain. Arweave domain names are updated and owned with a cryptocurrency wallet.
Goodbye Cloudflare. Hello Gateways.
On Arweave, your content is displayed all around the world from hundreds of gateways. So you transcend physical locations, because you’re not tied down to any particular country, service provider, or government.
Arweave is a blockchain. ArWeb is our app to use it.
No Coding.
You can create your content, blogs or podcasts, without any coding. It’s an easy to use graphical app.
No Middleman.
Our open source app runs on your local computer, and empowers you to burn your legacy directly on Arweave’s blockchain with no middle man.
Your Fans use Existing RSS Apps!
Your blog or podcast gets it’s own RSS feed, linked to your Arweave domain name. Now your fans can plug this into regular podcast and RSS readers.
Easy Updates
And even better, ArWeb streamlines updates, by comparing what has changed with what is uploaded. Unlike the official team’s web app, which forces you to pay for the whole website again just to make a change. With our new system, you only pay for what you change or update.
Save Money & Time.
You only pay once, and then avoid having a monthly hosting bill to worry about. Even better, you don’t have to pay for bandwidth.
We custom tailor our design for your needs at an affordable price, starting at just $150 for a blog or podcast. And you keep your open source template, so you alone are in charge.
Summary of Benefits:
-No external control over you. You’re god.
-Your content can’t be censored by any one person
-You own your domain name and content
-No Vendor lock-in. You can ditch us later.
Speed:
-Your content is displayed on gateways all around the world
-Your website loads faster because fans pick a gateway near them
Security:
-You can’t be DDoS’ed, but aren’t dependent on large providers like Cloudflare or Amazon
-There’s no passwords, it’s a cryptographic wallet
Privacy:
-Unlike Cloudflare, your fans aren’t fingerprinted by their browser or load speed
-Unmatched privacy, as they pick what gateway to view content
-Open Source app
Easy for Fans:
-Doesn’t require special software for your audience to view it
-RSS feeds plug into pre-existing podcast apps, RSS readers, and browsers
You’re Going to Die:
-After you die, your content, work, and messages will remain exactly in the form you want it to be
-Be remembered and have meaning.
Summary of Downside:
-None
Reach out for a free quote for your custom template today,
