Mailfence
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Screenshot of Mailfence website, showing the user's inbox. | |
Type of site | Webmail |
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Available in | English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch and Portuguese |
Owner | ContactOffice Group |
Created by |
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Website |
mailfence |
Alexa rank |
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Commercial | Yes |
Registration | Required |
Launched | 12 November 2013 |
Current status | Online |
Content license | Proprietary |
Mailfence is an encrypted email service that offers OpenPGP based end-to-end encryption and digital signatures. It was launched in November 2013 by ContactOffice Group, which operates an online collaboration suite for universities and other organizations since 1999.[2]
History
In the midst of 2013, the Mailfence project was started by the founders of ContactOffice. In March 2016, the company released the public BETA version of their end-to-end encryption and digital signatures for emails.[3]
Features
Mailfence provides secure email features, with other functions such as Calendar, Contacts and Documents.[4]
The service supports POP/IMAP and Exchange ActiveSync[5] as well as vanity domains with SPF, DKIM, DMARC[6] and catch-all address support.[7][8] Users can send both plain and rich text emails, organize messages in folders and/or categorize them with tags, set default message signatures, create aliases and use plus addressing[9] to apply filters to inbound messages.
Contacts
The contacts support (CSV, vCard, LDIF) import, (vCard, CSV, PDF) export and can be accessed using CardDAV.[10] Users organize them with tags and can also create contact lists.
Calendar
The calendar supports vCal/iCal import, export and can be accessed by using CalDAV.[11] User can share their calendar with group members and can also create polls.[12]
Documents
The documents can be accessed using WebDAV or edited online. Users can drag and drop files in folders and categorize them with tags.[13]
Groups
Groups allow users to share mailbox, documents, contacts, calendars and perform instant chatting with group members in a secure way. A group administrator manages the access rights of group members and can also set another group member as co-admin or main admin of the group.[14][15]
Server location
Since their servers are located in Belgium,[16] they are legally outside of US jurisdiction. Mailfence is therefore not subjected to US gag orders and NSLs. Under Belgian law, all national and international surveillance requests must go through a Belgian court.[17]
Security and Privacy
Aside from conventional security and privacy features including TFA,[18] spam protection, sender address blacklisting and whitelisting, Mailfence offers following features:
End-to-end encryption
The service uses an open-source implementation of OpenPGP (RFC 4880).[19] Private keys are generated in the client-browser, encrypted (via AES256) with the user's passphrase, and then stored on the server.[20] [21] The server never sees the user's passphrase.
Digital signatures
The service gives the choice between "signing", or "signing and encrypting" an email message with or without attachments.[22]
Integrated keystore
The service provides an integrated keystore to manage PGP keys,[23] and does not require any third-party add-on/plugin. OpenPGP keypairs can be generated, imported or exported.[24] Public keys of other users can be imported through file or in-line text or can be downloaded directly from Public key servers.[25]
Full OpenPGP interoperability
Users can communicate with any OpenPGP compatible service provider.[26]
See also
References
- ↑ "Alexa.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
- ↑ "ContactOffice launch and users".
- ↑ "BETA launch of a pure end-to-end encrypted email solution that gives you full control". Retrieved 25 May 2016.
- ↑ Leonard, John. "Escape from Yahoo: Nine encrypted email alternatives". Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- ↑ Skjefstad, Vegard. "Secure and Private E-mail: A Provider Overview". Retrieved 1 August 2015.
- ↑ "Spoofing defense for Custom domains: SPF, DKIM, DMARC". Retrieved 8 January 2018.
- ↑ "Privacytools.io is a socially motivated website that provides information for protecting your data security and privacy". Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- ↑ "Mailfence Release Notes Dec 2017". Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- ↑ "Plus addressing to filter email". Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ↑ "Mailfence Contacts: a secure contact management software". Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ↑ "Mailfence Calendar: a secure online calendar to schedule, manage and track meetings & events". Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ↑ "Mailfence Polls: simple and secure meeting scheduler". Retrieved 28 November 2017.
- ↑ "Mailfence Documents: secure file sharing, storage and collaboration". Retrieved 9 November 2017.
- ↑ "Mailfence Groups: secure group collaboration". Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ↑ "Privacytools.io is a socially motivated website that provides information for protecting your data security and privacy". Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- ↑ "The Mailfence SSL/TLS Certificate". Retrieved 10 June 2016.
- ↑ "Mailfence privacy policy". Archived from the original on 18 July 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ↑ Davis, Josh. "Two Factor Auth (2FA)". Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ↑ Sparrow, Elijah. "OpenTechFund/secure-email". Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ↑ "Mailfence end-to-end encryption and digital signatures". Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ↑ "The 3 Most Secure & Encrypted Email Providers Online". Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- ↑ Thomas, Mike. "A (mostly) In Depth Review of Mailfence". Retrieved 1 September 2016.
- ↑ Schürmann, Dominik. "OpenPGP Email encryption. For all operating systems. Standing the test of time". Retrieved 1 September 2016.
- ↑ Tschabitscher, Heinz. "Encrypted email services keep your messages private". Retrieved 3 June 2018.
- ↑ "Mailfence's OpenPGP keystore gives full control over key management". Retrieved 17 May 2017.
- ↑ "Encrypted email service providers". v. Archived from the original on 18 May 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.