Using a Safe Email Alias? You May Still Be Exposed

You’ve probably heard that creating a safe e-mail address is important—and it is. But a safe e-mail address alone is not enough if your e-mail service provider automatically gives your full name in every e-mail you send.

The risk lies in the fact that your real name is like a key. When it's used in a property search, a directory look up, a school or MySpace search, and so on, it can unlock a tremendous amount of personal information.

In the Hotmail example (shown below), Elle created a very safe e-mail address aussie242@hotmail.com. It doesn’t reveal her name, age (she’s a teen), or location (she lives in the US). It's not sexually suggestive and it doesn't display any emotional vulnerability.



Unfortunately, in spite of Elle’s safe intentions, Hotmail put her at unnecessary risk by displaying her real name—something Elle, like most people, was completely unaware of.

Windows Live Hotmail isn’t the only e-mail service exposing consumers in this manner; Yahoo! mail does as well. To check your e-mail account to see if your service protects your privacy, send yourself and e-mail and see if your full name shows up.

Of course many people, particularly those in business, want their name to be displayed, but this should always be a conscious choice. Safety is at issue when people create an e-mail account and aren’t given the choice to show their real name (or not) or warned about the potential risks of displaying it.

Find out how to hide your real name in:

• MSN Hotmail
• Windows Live Hotmail
• Yahoo! Mail (Hint: I couldn't find out.)