A tech dominant world can make you feel like everything is so fast paced you can barely keep up and keep your head above water. The expectation that you’ll respond to texts and emails seconds after you receive them is a real one — also one that can add to your stress and anxiety. If you’d like to take back your time and manage it how you see fit, one move you can make is changing a few settings so that your emails are more private. And one way to retain your privacy is by not allowing email senders to see when you’ve read their emails (which may make them suspicious if you take hours or days or even a week to get back to them).
Tech Expert Jon Morgan, CEO of Ventures Smarter, suggests steps to take to make your email more private — including how to block hidden read receipts.
“Blocking hidden read receipts can be a useful step to ensure your email activity remains private and prevent others from knowing whether you have read their messages or not,” Morgan says. “Here’s a description of how you can achieve this:”
Disable read receipts
The first step is to disable read receipts in your email client or service. “The process may vary depending on the email platform you are using, but generally, you can find this option in the settings or preferences section,” Morgan says. “Look for a setting related to read receipts or message tracking and disable it. This will prevent your email client from sending read receipts to the sender.”
Review your privacy settings
Along with disabling read receipts, it’s important to review the privacy settings of your email account, according to Morgan. “Many email services offer various privacy options, such as blocking external images or preventing remote content from loading automatically,” Morgan says. “Enabling these settings can help prevent senders from receiving notifications when you open their emails or when you download images.”
Use an email client with privacy features
Consider using an email client or application that specifically focuses on privacy and security. “Some email clients offer features like encrypted messaging, blocking read receipts, and additional privacy controls,” Morgan says. “Research and choose a client that aligns with your privacy requirements and preferences.”
Read emails offline
To ensure complete privacy, Morgan advises choosing to read your emails offline, without connecting to the internet. By disabling your internet connection while reading emails, he stresses that you can prevent any read receipts or tracking requests from being sent back to the sender.
Disable remote content loading
“By default, many email clients automatically load remote content, such as images, when you open an email,” Morgan says. “However, this can also be used to track whether you have read the message. To prevent this, disable remote content loading in your email client's settings. This way, the sender won't receive any notifications when you open their email or load external images.”
Consider using a VPN
Utilizing a virtual private network (VPN) can add an extra layer of privacy to your email activity, according to Morgan. “A VPN encrypts your internet connection, making it harder for anyone to track your online activities, including email interactions,” he says. “This can help protect your privacy and prevent tracking attempts.”
These simple changes will boost your email security and privacy — and can give you back your time so that you can decide when to address email, as well.
