Disposable addresses would make Gmail a privacy powerhouse

Your email address is a liability when yet another of your accounts get hacked. After your login credentials are leaked, attackers can use those same credentials to try logging into different services across the web to see what else they might unlock.

But there’s a better way — and Google seems poised to bring it to the masses. As spotted by Android Authority, a new “Shielded Email” feature in the Gmail app for Android devices is seemingly on the way. It would let you create disposable email addresses, or temporary burner email addresses that forward email to your real account.

My colleague Michael Crider covered how Shielded Email could serve as a defense against spam, but there’s another payoff to this privacy protection: stronger online security.

Using a random, unique email address for every account you have would make it harder for hackers to use data leaks to break into other accounts of yours. This is the same principle as masked email, but with one big advantage: you don’t need to sign up for a separate service.

With almost 2 billion users already signed up for Gmail, the new Shielded Email feature would level up standard privacy, big time. If offered for free, it would also eclipse Apple’s equivalent feature, Hide My Email, which is only available to paying iCloud+ subscribers.

I’m rooting for this feature to make it out the starting gate. Google’s been strengthening its security and privacy features, like dark web monitoring and improved passkey support in its password manager, without gating it behind a Google One subscription. With how bad data leaks and breaches have gotten lately, the smart way to avoid hackers who are exploiting current conventions is to change them altogether.

Author: Alaina Yee, Senior Editor, PCWorld

A 14-year veteran of technology and video games journalism, Alaina Yee covers a variety of topics for PCWorld. Since joining the team in 2016, she’s written about CPUs, Windows, PC building, Chrome, Raspberry Pi, and much more—while also serving as PCWorld’s resident bargain hunter (#slickdeals). Currently her focus is on security, helping people understand how best to protect themselves online. Her work has previously appeared in PC Gamer, IGN, Maximum PC, and Official Xbox Magazine.

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