Free Email Services — RevisitedBy Remar Sutton, DCU StreetWise Spokesperson
Several years ago we looked at three free web-based email services: Hotmail, Yahoo!, and Mail.com. In the ensuing years not much worth mentioning happened. That all changed recently with Google's entrance into the arena with Gmail. This review looks again at Hotmail, Yahoo!, and Mail.com and takes a first look at Gmail.
As usual, the term “free” has a catch. You “pay” for these services not with cash but with your demographic information. StreetWise tip: Always, always read the privacy policy (and any related privacy policies) when providing personal information. That said, these services can be useful if you need to be able to access your email from any computer. You also must accept cookies in order to use any of these sites.
The privacy policies of these services describe how they use cookies and web beacons. Cookies are identification text files stored on your computer. They are necessary for online banking and online shopping. Other good uses for cookies include: site personalization, automatic site login. A bad use is to track the sites you've visited. These cookies are usually from third-parties such as ad companies. Web beacons (also called web bugs or clear GIFs) are tiny transparent graphics that are used to monitor activity on a web site. Controlling cookies can also reduce the information collected by web beacons. (Click on your browser's help button for information on controlling cookies.)
Here's a summary of what each service offers.
Hotmail is part of MSN. Your sign-in name and password are actually a Microsoft .NET Passport. The .NET Passport allows you to use your Hotmail email address and password to sign-in to all .NET participating sites and services. StreetWise tip: .NET Passport has a separate privacy policy from MSN, so make sure you read both before signing up. Hotmail offerings will increase as accounts will be upgraded over the next several months.
When setting up an account, you explicitly agree to receive targeted advertisements and periodic Member Letter emails from MSN.
Email is just one of the many services that Yahoo! provides. You use the same ID and password for all your Yahoo! services including email.
Mail.com allows you to choose the domain for your address. This means you don't have to have @mail.com but can choose from a variety of domains such as a city, place, profession, interest, or many others. This is probably the only reason to choose this service because you are bombarded with ads: banners, animated, and pop-ups. In some instances a full screen ad is displayed that you must click through before you get to the selected message or page.
Gmail is not yet available to the public. It's in testing mode so expect changes before it's available to all. Gmail works differently from the others. Instead of sorting messages, it groups messages by context—that is, a message and its replies are grouped together. Find a specific message by searching. Message contents are automatically scanned and then ads are displayed that match the contents.
Concerns about privacy when using free email services
The fact that these services are supported by advertising raises concerns about personal privacy. Even though the recent privacy discussions have centered on Gmail, there are similar concerns with all these services.
To read more about some of these issues:
Is paying for your email worth it?
A free email account may be a good option if your only access to a computer is at work or public location. Even if you don't have your own computer, a paid account usually provides you with reduced advertising, more message storage space, better tools such as virus cleaning and more control over spam filtering, and no promo lines at the bottom of your email. All of these services (except Gmail) offer paid versions.
If you have an account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) you may be able to access your email from any computer even if you don't normally access it through a browser. Most of the nationwide and many of the regional ISPs allow you to access your email on the web as well as downloading it to your own computer. If you happen to carry a computer with you, you may be able to access your ISP through a local phone number—even if you use a broadband connection at home. Visit the ISP support pages and see.
When it comes to email, going free or paying for a service is up to you. Streetwise advice here chimes with our recommendations on other topics—it's smart to compare services and do your homework before you sign up.
So, what do you think?
If you find this review helpful, please pass the word to your friends. Also email me* with any comments or suggestions.
Remar Sutton
* Please note that ordinary email is not secure. You should avoid including any sensitive personal or financial information. Contact DCU directly with specific questions concerning your account or membership.
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