Tracing an email to an individual can be complex, but email providers, ISPs, and law enforcement can monitor your activities through your emails if privacy measures are not taken. You might need to trace emails to block spam, detect phishing attempts, or investigate unknown senders. Big tech companies, marketers, advertisers, and law enforcement also trace emails for various reasons.
Have a look at free reverse email search
To trace an email, you can start by examining the email header. This contains crucial information like sender, recipient, subject, timestamp, and the IP address of the server that sent the email.
Locate an IP address associated with an email
In Proton Mail, you can view an email’s header by clicking on the More menu, which is represented by three horizontal dots. From there, select the option labelled “View headers.” This action allows you to access detailed information about the email, including its originating source and other relevant technical details.
Message header
To extract and analyse this information effectively, you can use tools like Message Header or Email Header Analyzer. These tools help identify the source IP address, providing details such as city and ISP. It’s important to note that while the IP address reveals the server from which the email originated (like an email delivery service in San Antonio, Texas), it does not lead directly to identifying a specific individual.
Most popular web-based and mobile email applications do not include individual public IP addresses in email headers. For instance, Proton Mail’s web and mobile apps do not include user IP addresses in sent email headers. However, desktop email applications using SMTP, such as Outlook or Thunderbird, might include the originating IP address in the header. Nevertheless, this IP address requires further investigation to link it to an individual.
In summary, while email IP addresses can provide clues about an email’s origin, they do not directly identify individuals. If you identify an email from an unknown or suspicious source, you can take action like blocking future emails from that sender.
Methods to keep your mail secured
To enhance your email privacy and prevent tracking, consider the following steps:
- Switch to Private Email: Use an end-to-end encrypted email service such as Proton Mail.
Proton Mail does not collect personal data for targeted advertising. Their funding is supported by community members, not by exploiting user data.
- Benefits of Proton Mail:
Secure Emails: Benefit from end-to-end encryption and zero-access encryption, ensuring only you can read your emails, not even Proton Mail.
Password-Protected Emails: Send encrypted emails that require a password for access.
Enhanced Tracking Protection: Block email tracking and maintain privacy by hiding your IP address.
Self-Destructing Emails: Set an expiration time for emails, ensuring they automatically delete from the recipient’s inbox after a specified period.
By adopting these practices and using services like Proton Mail, you can significantly increase your email privacy and prevent your emails from being tracked or exploited for targeted advertising.
