Brave’s browser one-ups Chrome with its new support for email aliases

Brave's browser introduces email aliases to rival Chrome, offering users an alternative means of protecting their privacy online. This new feature allows users to sign up for websites and online services without disclosing their personal email addresses. To utilize email aliases, users first create an account with Brave, providing their real email address.

Upon logging into the browser, a pop-up appears when attempting to input an email on a website, granting the option to use an alias instead of their primary address. The alias is automatically filled into the website's form, and any incoming emails are forwarded to the user's main email account.

Brave explains that using an alias can enhance privacy, especially since websites use email addresses as identifiers, enabling targeted advertising. Ad tech companies like Meta can also link the provided email to their own records, potentially tracking users' online activities. In the event of a website breach, hackers can gain access to users' primary email addresses, which may then be leaked or sold to data brokers.

Brave created the email alias feature to address this privacy concern, emphasizing that they do not view the contents of emails sent to an alias; they only process them for spam and virus protection. Once forwarded, Brave deletes the email from its servers.

Moreover, Brave encrypts all user data at rest and any notes saved alongside an alias, either locally on the user's device or synced end-to-end if the sync option is enabled. Currently, users have access to five free email aliases. Premium plan users can expect additional aliases in the future. Be aware that some forwarded emails may initially land in the spam folder, but this should improve as Brave's reputation as a mail provider grows.