Proton is known for its secure and privacy-focused services like Proton Mail and Proton VPN. Last year, the company introduced an email masking feature on its Proton Pass app called Hide My Email. It allows users to use disposable email addresses for protection against spam and online scams – similar to Apple’s “Hide my email” option.
Now, the Swiss brand has made this feature live on Proton Mail as well. Hide-my-email aliases offer the ability to generate random email addresses that you can use instead of your actual email. Doing so will protect your email address from landing in the wrong hands, protecting you from potential fraud, financial scams, identity theft, and other security risks.
What Are Hide-My-Email Aliases?
From creating an account on a website or an online service to subscribing to newsletters, there are several instances where we need to provide our email addresses. While taking precautions by refraining from submitting emails to suspicious platforms can help, even genuine ones sometimes become prone to data breaches. Once your email falls into the hands of a scammer or marketer, you become vulnerable to scams or certain security risks.
That said, the Hide-my-email option allows users to generate random, unique email aliases. You can use these anywhere online instead of your actual email address. All the emails you receive will be forwarded to your original email address, keeping your real email address and identity anonymous. If you suspect your email has been compromised, you can simply delete the specific alias and use a freshly generated one.
How To Use Hide-My-Email Aliases on Proton Mail?
Hide-my-email aliases are currently available only on the Proton Mail web app. Here’s how you can use them:
- Head to Proton Mail and sign up or log in to your account. Then, you’ll see a few vertically stacked icons in the top right corner. Click on the shield icon.
- Proton Mail’s Security Center will appear with a list of security-related options. Click on the “Create an alias” button.
- The Create alias menu will pop up with options to set up your email alias. When done, click the “Create and copy alias” button. Your randomly generated email will be automatically copied to the clipboard. You can then use it anywhere, and any email you receive will land in your Proton Mail inbox.
For mobile users, this feature is accessible through the Proton Pass app, which is available for both iOS and Android smartphones. To create a new alias, follow these steps:
- Open the Proton Pass app on your mobile and tap the “+” icon in the bottom center.
- It will display a list of options. Tap on Alias.
- The hide-my-email alias options will show up on your screen. Enter the details like title, note, etc., and tap the Create alias button in the top-right corner. Your new email alias will be ready to use.
Keep Your Inbox Safe From Spam and Phishing
Using disposable email addresses is an easy yet effective way to protect against spam and fraud. Not only will it prevent spam emails from landing in your inbox, but it will also protect your original email address from falling into the wrong hands while keeping your identity anonymous.
It’s worth noting that Proton’s free tier allows the creation of up to 10 email aliases. You can upgrade to the Proton Unlimited plan to create unlimited aliases. It also comes with plenty of other benefits across Proton VPN, Proton Drive, Proton Calendar, and Proton Pass.
