Temporary email services like 10-Minute Mail might sound useful when you need to send or sign up for something using an email address(nieuw venster) but don’t want to provide your real one. You may consider this option while downloading free resources, signing up for free trials, registering on forums, or registering for WiFi in public places. The use of temporary email accounts has steadily increased(nieuw venster) over the years, with the number of newly identified high-risk email domains growing from under 1 million in 2019 to over 3.3 million in 2023
While they might seem convenient, these 10-minute mail services don’t offer the most secure and private way to protect your primary email address and minimize online exposure. Here’s what makes them so risky, and why an email alias is a safer solution.
Why are 10-minute email address services risky?
Here’s why you might want to reconsider using a temporary email service:
Anybody can access your inbox
Disposable email address services don’t require a password or any form of authentication, meaning anyone who knows or guesses the password can access your inbox. Some services even recycle email addresses, so if someone gets assigned your old one, they might be able to see the emails intended for you. Even if emails are automatically deleted after a while, someone could still read them before that happens.
No encryption means easy interception
Most temporary email services aren’t encrypted, making them easy targets for man-in-the-middle attacks, especially on insecure networks (such as public WiFi(nieuw venster)). Hackers monitoring these connections can intercept emails in real time to verification codes, password reset links, or other sensitive data. And if the service’s servers ever get hacked, any stored emails could be exposed too. Or you can use Proton VPN(nieuw venster) to encrypt your internet connection and protect your data.
Display ads may be harmful
Since 10-minute email services are usually free, they rely on ads to stay afloat. But ads can be risky, especially since these services don’t typically prioritize security or filter out harmful ads. You never know when a bad one might try to slip in malware or phishing scams, unless you’re using an ad blocker like Proton VPN’s NetShield(nieuw venster), which helps protect you from malicious ads and trackers.
Your data may be shared with third parties
Disposable email tools probably share your data with third parties, often for marketing purposes. That’s why it’s always a good idea to check the privacy policy if you use them regularly.
It might seem like there’s nothing personal to collect since you don’t enter any real information, but that’s not entirely true. These services can still log your IP address(nieuw venster), which could be used to track or identify you. Plus, they may store or analyze the contents of your emails, which could reveal more about you than you realize.
Your account may be banned on some websites
Since burner emails are often used for one-time signups, they’re sometimes linked to spam or abuse. That means you could(nieuw venster) end up getting your account banned from the website you used it on, such as streaming services that limit free trials or forums that require verified users. Some platforms even blacklist entire temporary email domains, preventing you from signing up in the first place.
How to avoid exposing yourself when using temporary emails
Even if you understand the security risks of 10-minute email services, you might still accidentally expose yourself in other ways when using the temporary email addresses that you created with them.
For example, if you’re signing up with your 10-minute email address for a service that also collects other personal information about you, then your details could end up in a confirmation email. Some websites automatically send account details, usernames, or receipts to the email you provide. If your disposable email is public, shared, or gets reassigned, someone else could see all your information in one place. You’d be essentially handing them access to your account.
If you really need to use a fake email account, never use it for anything involving personal data, financial accounts, or login credentials. Avoid forwarding messages to your real email, since that just exposes both.
A safer way to use aliases without the security risks and protect your primary email address is with Proton.
Stay safe and private with Proton hide-my-email aliases instead
Proton Mail(nieuw venster) provides aliases that let you create unique email addresses for different services to protect your real email from spam, data breaches, and tracking. These aliases are linked to your account, but they can’t be viewed by anyone else.
Any emails received by one of your aliases are instantly forwarded to your primary inbox, and you can easily deactivate them if they’re ever compromised. If an alias starts receiving spam or is compromised, you can deactivate it instantly without affecting your primary email.
Beyond aliases, Proton Mail protects your entire data with end-to-end encryption, which means that no one can read your data — not even us.
Since we’re exclusively funded by our community of paying subscribers, Proton Mail is completely ad-free, so your privacy is never compromised.
When you’re ready, you can securely transfer your emails, calendars, and contacts to Proton Mail using our Easy Switch feature.
