Do you think there's nothing you can do to stop Google from reading your Gmail, or that a "strong password" is enough to... secure your account?
Think again...
We may all have at least one email account now, but that doesn't mean we know all of its... secrets: how to check incoming messages, how to organize our account and sort our emails, etc.
But it seems, according to Rachel Z. Arndt writing on popularmechanics.com, that the reality is very different.
See below some of the most well-known "myths" surrounding email and the best tools one can use to make their account effective and... secure:
Myth: The best way to manage an overloaded email account is to "clear" all notifications in your inbox.
Reality: Folders, labels, and filters are better organizational tools.
The feeling one gets when the moment comes when they see the “inbox: 0” label is… magnificent. Those of you who work in a field that requires the… incessant use of email, we are sure you understand exactly what we mean. Of course, a few too many can prove to be a bigger… trouble.
A compromise solution: an inbox that can hold the messages you need, but in such a way that they are easy to search for, in different folders and labels.
In other words: organization.
Instead of keeping all your emails in your inbox, you can enter filters (e.g. sender/recipient name, some keywords) to sort them accordingly. Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo allow you to enter rules and filters, or simply accept your messages in your inbox.
Myth: Creating accounts with pseudonyms is not worth it.
Reality: They can make your life easier.
Creating alias accounts that are linked to your main account can be extremely useful in organizing your incoming messages.
You can create them in two ways: completely different usernames, or email addresses with different separators between the name and the label (not all email services allow both).
Myth: Using a "strong" password secures your account.
Reality: A “strong” password is just the beginning. Use other services already provided to you by the system.
Turn on two-step verification. This will add a second element to your password, usually a code sent to your mobile phone.
Every time you try to log into your account, you will have to search your mobile phone for the "second key", which will either come to you in the form of a message, or you will search for it through an application.
It may be an extra effort, but it's worth it.
You can even set it to "trust" a specific computer: the system will require a single security code if you log in from that specific machine.
Additionally, app-specific passwords (sequences of letters and numbers randomly generated by the service itself) allow you to secure third-party apps that run outside of a browser, usually on a different device, that aren't compatible with two-step verification—like Apple Mail, Android Mail, and Outlook.
Then, within Settings you can manage the applications you have linked to your account.
So, if you lose your mobile phone, or if you stop using an app, you can simply revoke access to it.
Myth: You can only manage your email in real time, when you are in front of your computer or via a mobile device.
Reality: By using add-ons you can manage your account at a different time.
You can set your account to receive messages only when you can deal with them. Of course, this doesn't mean you'll start informing everyone that you receive mail at certain times, but you can "hide" some messages and make them "reappear" whenever you want.
The "Inbox Pause" command (available only in Gmail) hides your mail until you choose to view your messages again.
Myth: If Google wants to read your Gmail, there's nothing you can do to stop it.
Reality: With encryption you can block eavesdropping from… outsiders, including the service provider.
Basic encryption via HTTPS protocol is available in Gmail, Outlook, and AOL and can also be enabled in Yahoo mail.
But according to Micah Lee of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, "the only way to truly keep your account private from the providers of that service is to use OpenPGP email encryption. With free services like Mailvelope (for Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook accounts), any recipient you send an encrypted message to will have to enter a specific code to read it.".
Source: planet-greece.blogspot.com
