Brave Launches Email Aliases for Enhanced User Privacy

Key Takeaways

• Brave has launched a new Email Aliases feature in desktop browser version 1.94.
• This privacy-focused tool allows users to generate unique, forwarding email addresses to hide their primary inbox from websites and online services.
• The feature aims to combat cross-device tracking and data brokering, which often leverage email addresses as persistent identifiers.
• Initially, users receive five free aliases, with plans for mobile expansion and a premium offering in the future.

Brave Introduces Email Aliases for Enhanced Digital Privacy

Brave has rolled out a significant new privacy feature, Email Aliases, integrated into desktop browser version 1.94. This functionality empowers users to register for online services using unique, disposable email addresses, thereby safeguarding their actual email inbox from exposure.

The core mechanism involves generating distinct forwarding addresses. These aliases route incoming messages to a user’s primary email address, all while keeping that main address concealed from the third-party websites and services the user interacts with.

Combating Persistent Tracking with Disposable Identities

This release marks the 39th installment in Brave’s ongoing series of privacy enhancements. The feature was brought to fruition by Brave engineers Pavel Beloborodov, Tarik Demirović, Harold Spencer Jr., and DesignOps Lead Agustín Ruiz, with additional input from former Brave privacy engineer Arthur Edelstein.

Email addresses have evolved into potent identifiers for advertisers, websites, and data brokers. Unlike temporary browser cookies, an email address provides a persistent link, enabling tracking across various devices, browsers, and online platforms. Companies frequently utilize customer email lists to correlate users with existing profiles on major advertising networks such as Google, Meta, and LinkedIn.

For instance, if a customer provides their email during an online purchase, the vendor can upload this address to an advertising platform’s server-side matching system. Should the platform identify the same email linked to a social media account, it can then associate the customer’s purchase history with their broader advertising profile. This type of data sharing often occurs outside the browser’s purview, rendering traditional tracker blockers ineffective.

Brave’s Email Aliases are specifically engineered to mitigate this exposure by assigning a unique, temporary address to each website, rather than the user’s permanent email identity. Users can generate an alias directly within an email input field on a webpage. The newly created alias then forwards all messages to the email address associated with the user’s Brave Account.

Should an alias begin to receive unsolicited mail or become linked to a service no longer in use, users have the flexibility to deactivate it and generate a new one.

Management and Security Protocols

Users can manage their email aliases through the browser settings by navigating to Settings > Autofill & Passwords > Email Aliases, or directly via the internal browser page brave://settings/email-aliases.

To utilize this feature, users must first establish a Brave Account with an email address and password, which operates independently of any Brave Premium subscriptions. According to Brave, their account system employs OPAQUE, a password-authenticated key exchange protocol standardized in RFC 9807. This protocol is designed to prevent a user’s password from being directly transmitted to Brave’s servers during the authentication process.

Brave states that both the primary account address and all generated aliases are stored encrypted at rest. The company affirms that it does not access the content of emails; instead, it processes incoming mail solely for spam and malware filtering before forwarding. Messages are promptly deleted from Brave’s servers within seconds of delivery. Alias notes are stored locally on the user’s device, and if Brave Sync is enabled, these notes are end-to-end encrypted across devices within the same Sync chain.

Initially, Brave is providing users with five free email aliases. The company has announced plans to extend this capability to mobile devices and introduce a Premium version in the future. Brave also cautioned that some forwarded messages might initially be misidentified as spam while the service works to establish its email-sending reputation.

What You Should Do

• Update your Brave desktop browser to version 1.94 or higher to access the Email Aliases feature.
• Create a Brave Account (if you don’t have one) to start generating and managing your aliases.
• Utilize email aliases when signing up for new services or websites to protect your primary email address from data collection and targeted advertising.
• Regularly review your active aliases and deactivate any that are receiving spam or are no longer needed.

Disclaimer: HackersRadar reports on cybersecurity threats and incidents for informational and awareness purposes only. We do not engage in hacking activities, data exfiltration, or the hosting or distribution of stolen or leaked information. All content is based on publicly available sources.