There are plenty of so-called ‘free’ email services, but they aren’t really ‘free’.
When was the last time a major multinational corporation gave you all its products for free?
In reality, most of those “free” email services so many people use are really market research tools designed to give you a place where you will unwittingly reveal a mountain of information about yourself that they can capture and use for their own purposes. These companies make their money from your personal information!
Read the fine print. Every email that passes through their servers is scanned and analyzed for personal details about your life. Mention your medical condition in a Yahoo message, and don’t be surprised when ads on websites you visit start touting a cure. If your accountant attaches your tax return and sends it through his Hotmail account, now Microsoft has it too—along with your Social Security Number, income, and more.
Think of the personal and sensitive information you share by email. Do you really want a company and its many partners having access to things like emailed medical records, your travel plans, financial information, and messages to friends that should be kept private?
There are also ‘free’ email services that seek more ethical ways to raise needed capital. No matter how noble their intentions, someone has to subsidize the people who build the software programs, as well as the servers, the electricity, and the security. These organizations may turn to volunteers and solicit needed funds through crowd sourcing and donations.
While these companies usually have the best of intentions, and we wish them well, there is no guarantee those volunteers and funds will be there tomorrow or that they will have the resources to provide top notch service and security for the long term.
Even if they do raise significant funds, you will always need to be concerned about the source of donations. Even nonprofit organizations answer to the people who pay their overhead and salaries, which could include large corporations and government agencies. Philanthropic organizations are no different, and you can likely look out onto the Internet landscape and identify a few of those companies that have either floundered or relinquished some control to corporate and government interests.
When you purchase a StartMail account, you hire us to handle your email. We answer to YOU, not marketers, corporate donors, or government agencies. Our mission is to protect your privacy and deliver great email service at a fair market price.
For a few pennies a day (less than the cost of a book of stamps each month), you can have the freedom to email in total privacy, knowing that StartMail will have the funds to deliver you uncompromised service for the long haul. In addition, you’ll know you’re paying your fair share and doing your part to take a stand against unbridled surveillance.
Is that worth $5 a month? We think so.