In context: According to a study published in Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies in 2018, 70% of the emails we receive contain trackers. Companies generally organize these data collection devices in pictures or icons. The only effective way to avoid them is to turn off the embedded images in your email settings.

DuckDuck Go privacy-focused search engine Tuesday ad a new service that protects user privacy by removing trackers from emails. Email Protection provides users with a “Personal Duck Address” which removes hidden data collection things like tracking pixels in images and then forwards them to your regular inbox, be it Yahoo, Gmail or whatever.

DuckDuckGo Email Protection is an automated process that does not read or save your emails. It eliminates those pesky trackers, deletes them, sends the email to your usual address, and then permanently deletes the email from its server. It will also tell you the type and number of trackers deleted from each email.

Additionally, when using the DuckDuckGo app or extension, users can anonymize their email address by creating a random private duck address for use with sites and services that may wish to spam or share. messaging data with third parties. Anonymous on-demand accounts forward messages to your primary inbox, just like a regular duck address. However, these are disposable accounts. Users can turn them off at any time if the spam gets out of hand.

Email Protection is currently in its beta state while DuckDuckGo resolves issues. Accounts are free, but there is a waiting list to register. To request an address, open the settings on the DuckDuckGo ios or Android app (or the DDG the browser extension) and select Beta Features -> Email Protection, then click “Join Private Waitlist”. The app creates a timestamp that only exists on your device. When it’s your turn, DuckDuckGo will contact you with instructions on how to retrieve your email address.

Image credit: Dawit