Emails contain sensitive and confidential information and if access is available to all and sundry that can spell disaster. It could even wipe out bank accounts as it is possible that exchange of information through emails could contain such vital information such as account numbers. It could spoil relationships if gossip is exchanged.  It is therefore vital that such practices are employed that guarantee total privacy.  There are many ways to protect email privacy,

– being selective in revealing one’s email address could top the list. While registering at new sites there is always a demand for giving one’s email address. It would be a vigilant practice to verify the credentials of such sites before one starts the registration process.

–  The other important practice is to create passwords that are difficult to crack. There are those who have the know how to crack passwords and here the more complicated the password the more difficult it would be for anyone to crack them.

– There is also the provision to uncheck ‘keep me signed in’ option and this option should be selected even though it would prove cumbersome to type the id name and password each time one needs to access one’s mail.

-And last but not the least it is always advisable to use the ‘bc’ (Blank copy) option when sending bulk mail as opting for the ‘cc’ (carbon copy) would expose the emails addresses of all those who receive such mail. Many prefer to give their email address to a selected few and this method would let so many others to have access which is not unsafe but could also be very embarrassing.

– Although a password appears in a * format typing it when others are around should be done judiciously so that others don’t get to read what is being typed.

– Vigilance is the order of the day.  If an email is received from an unknown source it could be that they have managed to get the email address through foul means.  It is best that they are instantly blocked.