As a result, it can theoretically access anybody's mail at any time. The purpose-built tool was then used to search all incoming emails for keywords and information provided by US intelligence officials.Įven with this controversy aside, Yahoo remains a free email provider that retains full control over its user's email vault. In order to give the NSA access to those accounts, Yahoo provided the government with a purposefully designed tool that could be leveraged to backdoor Yahoo Mail accounts en masse. Yahoo's reputation was dealt a severe blow in 2016 when it was revealed that the company had provided government snoops with backdoor access to hundreds of millions of user accounts. Yahoo Mail is perhaps the most controversial and insecure email provider on this list. Thus, we recommend that you steer away from the email providers below! Yahoo Mail However, in our opinion, it is much safer to migrate to an email provider that puts your privacy first. Many people use these free email services. In this section, we will pinpoint commonly used email providers that are known for mishandling user privacy and data security. What are the least secure email providers? In addition, there exists a threat of mismanagement and data leaks caused by the company.Ī lack of end-to-end encryption for the emails stored on company servers will also mean that cybercriminals can breach your emails – because the keys for server-side encryption could be stolen from the email provider's servers. In addition, if the email provider does not provide secure client-side encryption for emails by default, it is possible that government snoops could access your emails via a warrant. In the case of email providers, any privacy policy that allows the company to access your inbox could result in your emails being leveraged for marketing purposes using automated algorithms that search for keywords.

This means that the service provider has a vested interest in retaining access to your data, which creates privacy issues and security threats. Free services, for example, are frequently funded with revenue made from user data. You often get what you pay for when it comes to online services that provide top-line security and data privacy.

Is proton email safe