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The European Commission is brokering a deal to exchange information about travelers, including fingerprints and law enforcement records, with U.S. border authorities, leaving citizens concerned: https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-moves-open-up-data-for-us-border-checks-sparking-surveillance-chills/

Welcome! We're thrilled to have you as a user. If you have any questions or issues, our support team can be reached directly at support@startmial.com 👍

Google is paying $68 million to settle ANOTHER privacy lawsuit, this time from smartphone users who say that their voice-activated assistant spied on them: https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/google-settles-google-assistant-privacy-lawsuit-68-million-2026-01-26/

A digital graphic features a speech bubble with the text: "The truth? Privacy protects everyone. It's not secrecy, it's control, safety, and freedom in a world that increasingly assumes you've already given it all away." Below the quote is the handle "@Shamex_Ent on X." In the bottom right corner, a cartoon character with a paper bag over their head is shown and a star can be seen in the top left corner. The StartMail logo is at the bottom.

A digital graphic features a speech bubble with the text: "People think, 'They can't read my messages, so I'm safe.' Wrong. If I know who you talk to, when, for how long, and from where, l don't need to read the message. The social graph reveals more about your life than the content ever could." Below the quote is the handle "@askinomy on X." In the bottom left corner, a cartoon character with a paper bag over their head is shown. The StartMail logo is at the bottom.

A digital graphic features a speech bubble with the text: "That you need to be a skilled hacker or nerd to use privacy tools. Wrong. Most privacy tools are even more user friendly than traditional ones." Below the quote is the handle "@linuxuser1996 on X." In the bottom left corner, a cartoon character with a paper bag over their head is shown. The StartMail logo is at the bottom.

A digital graphic features a speech bubble with the text: "Most people think if they use a VPN or delete social media, they're fully private. In reality, privacy is layered. It's about controlling what we share, minimizing exposure, and using tools that protect our data by default." Below the quote is the handle "@BilaIRMK on X." In the bottom right corner, a cartoon character with a paper bag over their head. The StartMail logo is at the bottom.

We asked our followers during Data Privacy Week "what's the biggest misconception that people have about privacy," and a lot of them had some truly insightful things to say! That's why we've put this carousel together for all of you to benefit from their wisdom...

FTC Takes Action Against General Motors for Sharing Drivers’ Precise Location and Driving Behavior Data Without Consent The Federal Trade Commission is taking action against General Motors (GM) and OnStar over allegations they collected, used, and sold drivers’ precise geolocation data and driving behavior informati

The FTC has taken action against General Motors for sharing drivers’ precise location and driving data without consent: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/01/ftc-takes-action-against-general-motors-sharing-drivers-precise-location-driving-behavior-data

Labour want 'Panopticon' to have 'eyes of the state on you at all times' THE Home Secretary has said she wants to create a “Panopticon” system of state surveillance.

The UK's Home Secretary recently stated in an interview that she wants to use AI to create a "panopticon" of state surveillance where "the eyes of the state can be on you at all times": https://www.thenational.scot/news/25780001.shabana-mahmood-proposes-ai-panopticon-system-state-surveillance/

Why are Big Tech giants and governments still using the same tired arguments for violating everyone's privacy? The next time you hear someone say to you, "if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear" ask to see their unlocked phone and all of their private communications.

UK government targets VPNs in online safety consultation as Lords vote for ban Technology Secretary Liz Kendall promises "evidence-led" approach to keeping children safe online

The UK government is putting VPN's in its crosshairs and announcing a consultation period after the House of Lords voted to ban VPN's for users under the age of 18: https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/uk-government-targets-vpns-in-new-online-safety-consultation-as-lords-vote-for-ban

A great list of product suggestions for would-be privacy users! And we're not just saying that because we're on it...okay maybe just a little 😅

TikTok US venture to collect precise user location data Details on the expanded access to location information was published in a new privacy policy for the popular social media app.

TikTok's new US joint venture has changed its privacy policy to collect more precise location data from its 200 million American users: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgnj7v2rr5o

Made a new email on @startmail.bsky.social and, turns out, I can use my own domain. I can also make alias' based on my domain or a different startmail domain. Very nice, I dont need to give the government my domain now. Yay!

Microsoft will assist the FBI in unlocking your Windows PC data if asked Microsoft says it will provide the FBI with BitLocker encryption keys if requested for PCs that upload their key to the cloud via your Microsoft Account.

Microsoft has confirmed that they will hand over your encryption keys to authorities if they are handed a subpoena, and their forced online accounts give users no recourse. https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/windows-11/microsoft-bitlocker-encryption-keys-give-fbi-legal-order-privacy-nightmare

The image features a cartoon character with a paper bag over their head wearing glasses, alongside the text: "Myth: I don't mind giving my data away since it's not that valuable to begin with..." The background contains digital circuitry patterns, and the logo for StartMail is visible at the bottom.

You may not think that your data is all that valuable. After all, you're not a celebrity or politician or anyone all that important. But think about it...if it WASN'T valuable, then tech giants and data brokers and hackers wouldn't be trying so hard to collect it! Stop giving it away for free!

You may not think that targeted ads are very dangerous, but companies and data brokers pay top dollar to try to catch you when you're at you most vulnerable. But protecting yourself is much easier than you think!

Image of an open laptop with a newsletter signup page loaded. Next to the laptop is a warning sign, and text at the bottom reads "Stop giving out your real email address! Here's why..."

Stop giving out your real email address! Seriously. It's being used to track your activity and collect your private data in ways that you probably don't even realize. Let us tell you about it and how to protect yourself: https://www.startmail.com/stop-giving-your-real-email

Data Privacy Week 2026 promotional graphic with the StartMail logo at the bottom along with an image of a lock, a few digital icons, and text that reads "Get 50% off an annual subscription with the code 'DATAPRIVACY50'"

And don't forget that you can protect your inbox from trackers, spam, profiling, and advertisers for EVEN LESS...but for this week only! startmail.com/signup

A graphic with the StartMail logo created for Data Privacy Week 2026. On one side is an illustration of a hand holding a magnifying glass up to a globe with a location dot on it. On the other is the question "What's the biggest privacy threat that most people don't know about?"

What's the biggest privacy threat that most people don't know about?

Data Privacy Week 2026 promotional graphic with the StartMail logo at the bottom along with an image of a lock, a few digital icons, and text that reads "Get 50% off an annual subscription with the code 'DATAPRIVACY50'"

And don't forget that we're offering 50% OFF an annual subscription this week! There's no time like the present to start protecting your messages and inbox...

A graphic with the StartMail logo for Data Privacy Week 2026. On one side are a series of disappearing masks. On the other, the question "What's the biggest myth or wrong impression that people have about data privacy?"

What's the biggest myth or wrong impression that people have about data privacy?

Data Privacy Week 2026 promotional graphic with the StartMail logo at the bottom along with an image of a lock, a few digital icons, and text that reads "Get 50% off an annual subscription with the code 'DATAPRIVACY50'"

Remember, our favorite answers get a free year of StartMail...but everyone else can still get an annual subscription for half off!

Promotional graphic for Data Privacy Week 2026 by StartMail, depicting a hand holding a key and the question 'If you could use only one tool to protect your data, which would it be and why?'

If you could only use ONE privacy tool to protect your data, which one would you choose and why?

What made you realize it was time to start taking your digital privacy seriously?

Data Privacy Week 2026 graphic with a lock on one side and a question on the other: what made you realize that it was time to take your digital privacy seriously?

First question: what made you realize it was time to start taking your digital privacy seriously?

It's officially Data Privacy Week! We want YOUR help teaching people why and how to protect their privacy...and there's a potential FREE YEAR of StartMail in it for you. We'll be asking digital privacy questions all week, and gifting subscriptions to the best responses 👍

A promotional image featuring a positive review for StartMail, rating it 5 out of 5 stars for being a good email service with fast operations and strong anti-spam and safety features. The StartMail logo is displayed at the bottom.

Hundreds of satisfied customers across the globe can't ALL be wrong, can they? True privacy makes a difference, especially when it's coupled with industry-leading features and real life human support!

ChatGPT falls to new data-pilfering attack as a vicious cycle in AI continues Will LLMs ever be able to stamp out the root cause of these attacks? Possibly not.

Researchers have discovered another version of a data pilfering attack that allows them to extract private user information from ChatGPT, even after OpenAI introduced safeguards: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/01/chatgpt-falls-to-new-data-pilfering-attack-as-a-vicious-cycle-in-ai-continues/

notre plaisir!

Windows 11 performs worse than older Windows versions in nearly every benchmark YouTuber TrigrZolt ran several tests pitting six generations of Windows - from XP to Windows 11 - against one another to see which one can complete a...

Windows 11 lags behind older versions in a variety of speed tests, contradicting Microsoft's claims that it's the fastest and most secure version of the OS: https://www.techspot.com/news/110817-windows-11-performs-worse-than-older-windows-versions.html

Bien que nous ayons les mêmes fondateurs que Startpage, nous sommes désormais notre propre société indépendante sans actionnaires ni financement en capital-risque 👍

Happy to help! If you have any questions or issues, our support team is always available at support@startmail.com 👍