Security News > 2022 > August > DuckDuckGo opens its privacy-focused email service to everyone
At the same time, DuckDuckGo introduces new features that enhance the email service's anti-tracking system, a direct reply function, and smart encryption for embedded links.
Email Protection is DuckDuckGo's dedicated email forwarding solution that strips emails from advertising and profiling trackers before they land in the user's regular inbox.
DuckDuckGo reports running the beta program for a year revealed that over 85% of all emails on the tester's communications contained trackers.
Email Protection can provide users with unlimited disposable private addresses to use on sites that constitute high spam risk and be deactivated if the spamming gets out of control.
First, DuckDuckGo expanded the tracker blocking feature to include links, in addition to scripts, images, and other media.
Secondly, a new 'Smart Encryption' system automatically points users who click on embedded links to the HTTPS version of the target site, even if the email author used HTTP. The third addition is the ability to send or reply from Duck addresses, which could be helpful in cases where sender anonymity is called for.