Sharing your email has become second nature. You share it for discounts, to join newsletters and more. It's become a rote part of the shopping experience, and while it might seem harmless, it can actually open you up to data breaches and spam.
Chester Wisniewski, director and chief information security officer at Sophos, a cybersecurity firm, said the risk of oversharing your email is often underestimated. "Most of us use one primary email address. Once criminals know it's real, it opens up many opportunities for them to try to get into other accounts," he explained.
That's why Apple's Hide My Email feature can be such a useful tool.
Instead of giving every retailer your primary email address, you can generate a random email alias for online shopping and returns. The messages still land in your inbox, but the retailer won't have your real email address. If the alias starts getting spammed or you no longer need messages from the company you gave it to, you can shut it off in seconds.
I used Hide My Email to reduce the amount of spam I was receiving. Here's how you can do the same and protect your personal information while shopping online.
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Why I use the Hide My Email feature
This Apple feature is great for online shopping when you sign up for discounts, track orders or returns. These messages can be helpful in the moment, but often turn into frequent marketing emails that continue long after you're tired of them.
Companies may also provide your email to third parties, which means even more messages in your inbox. Hide My Email means you can use the alias for these short-term needs and turn it off (or back on) as you want. This helps you avoid an inbox with hundreds or thousands of unread emails.
"It's enlightening what you find when you start using unique emails [for different companies]," Wisniewski said. "You start noticing how many companies are selling your information because all the marketing goes to the address you used with them."
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