E-mail Are They Anonymous?

[G54]

Are e-mails from yahoo / hotmail anonymous or can they be traced if using a static IP and you want to receive a reply but not have the sender know your location and IP for the time being??

[Boater]

your IP address is tracked

[webfact]

...every time you access the web you leave a fingerprint.

What do the "bad guys" do when they open a safe they are not supposed to open? ---------- > They wear gloves.

That makes it harder for the "good guys" to find them because they can't be traced by their fingerprints.

You got the answer to your question...

Edited April 4, 2009 by webfact

[Cuban]

Are e-mails from yahoo / hotmail anonymous or can they be traced if using a static IP and you want to receive a reply but not have the sender know your location and IP for the time being??

If you are using a regional email server like Hotmail etc. in the header info will be IP routing info, from memory (used to do something like this years ago) you might be sending your corrispondent info that you are regional based here - if you seek to hide this fact can you use a mail host based in another country - but a service that is not so big that they have mirrored servers around the world that you will be directed to rather than where you expect to go: Google.Com in Thailand will be serviced by a Thai based server unless you direct your connection to the US 'original'.

If you sign up for a free email account with an English speaking service provider that hides your location enough, choose Cananda or Ireland as easy examples, the traffic will come from servers based in those countries - I doubt any email service there would have a mirror in Asia.

Getting the IP and tracing it is not hard (need to read full header) - but consider if the person you are talking to can do this.

Further point - there are 100% proxy email servers - but they are abused by spammers so many receiving email host servers do not accept incoming email from them.

HTH

[G54]

Thanks for the above information. All understood.

Yes, the recipient would have the ability to trace the mail.

Long time since I ever had the need to send one and could not remember for sure on tracking it.

Appreciated.

[ernest1966]

If you use hotmail or any other web based email client you can use TOR. TOR is a loose network of computers (bit like P2P in a way) which you can use to surf anon and this use hotmail anon.

Look it up, read about it etc.

Ernest

[sibeymai]

If someone wants to find you (ie. a government authority) they will find you. It's a bit harder for private citizens to track you, but not impossible, regardless of what precautions you take.

Do you think governments would allow the internet to exist without having such capabilities in place ? It's safe and prudent to assume that the authorities can trace your every electronic movement. Sometimes what you see in Hollywood movies is not far from the truth.

For years authorities have been able to trace phone communications. What makes you think they can't do the same with the internet ?

Edited April 4, 2009 by sibeymai

[G54]

^^^ Governments can never track ALL.

Depends how devious you are and how you hide yourself.

[G54]

If you use hotmail or any other web based email client you can use TOR. TOR is a loose network of computers (bit like P2P in a way) which you can use to surf anon and this use hotmail anon.

Look it up, read about it etc.

Ernest

thanks

[zzdocxx]

I am dying to hear the back story on this one.

[surface]

As far as I can tell Gmail does not reveal the senders IP in their headers and never has. That was a Hotmail "feature" which I believe they stopped doing ages ago, but I haven't used it for quite some time so I can't be certain.

Edited April 5, 2009 by surface

[trunknuk]

Gmail does reveal the sender IP.

But it is possible to stay truly anonymous if you wish to jump thru some major hoops. Buy a cheap notebook with cash from a store with no video cameras. Then access someones WIFI (in an area without video cams), create a free email and send an email. Wipe the laptop with DBAN and sell it. No possible (technological) way for govt or anyone to find out who sent it.

[surface]

When sending an email from a Gmail account via a web browser, the headers on the receiving end do not reveal the senders IP address.

When using IMAP, and probably POP as well, the IP is revealed in the headers.

Solution: Use your browser.

[webfact]

When sending an email from a Gmail account via a web browser, the headers on the receiving end do not reveal the senders IP address.

When using IMAP, and probably POP as well, the IP is revealed in the headers.

Solution: Use your browser.

Are you sure?

Then try this (source GMAIL):

1. Log in to Gmail.

2. Open the message you'd like to view headers for.

3. Click the down arrow next to Reply, at the top-right of the message pane.

4. Select Show original.

The full headers will appear in a new window.

Your suggestion will not work when someone send from Gmail to Gmail... and I trust this is not different from other web mail clients

/edit for grammatical error

Edited April 6, 2009 by webfact

[BigSnake]

Trace to IP 100 percent

[surface]

When sending an email from a Gmail account via a web browser, the headers on the receiving end do not reveal the senders IP address.

When using IMAP, and probably POP as well, the IP is revealed in the headers.

Solution: Use your browser.

Are you sure?

Then try this (source GMAIL):

1. Log in to Gmail.

2. Open the message you'd like to view headers for.

3. Click the down arrow next to Reply, at the top-right of the message pane.

4. Select Show original.

The full headers will appear in a new window.

Your suggestion will not work when someone send from Gmail to Gmail... and I trust this is not different from other web mail clients

/edit for grammatical error

Sure, you can read the headers from within gmail, and they may contain the senders IP address, but I was talking about SENDING email from the gmail web interface.

As far as sending from gmail to gmail, I didn't give that a try, but I assume the answer will be the same and the senders IP will not be revealed. I have no idea why they show the IP when using an IMAP client (and possibly POP) but that's how it is. Use a browser with gmail for the somewhat anonymity of not having your IP in the headers.

Edited April 6, 2009 by surface

[Emeritus]

When sending an email from a Gmail account via a web browser, the headers on the receiving end do not reveal the senders IP address...

...

1. Log in to Gmail.

2. Open the message you'd like to view headers for...

I believe you are talking at cross purposes. Surface talks about sending an email, you talk about an email you received. Not quite the same thing.

Anyway, the OP only wants to know about Yahoo and Hotmail, so we are off topic here talking about gmail, I suspect.

[Emeritus]

I had somebody send me an email from both his Yahoo and Hotmail webmail accounts. Both have the sender's IP address in the header, in the attachments marked with a red frame:

[borovik]

If someone wants to find you (ie. a government authority) they will find you. It's a bit harder for private citizens to track you, but not impossible, regardless of what precautions you take.

Do you think governments would allow the internet to exist without having such capabilities in place ? It's safe and prudent to assume that the authorities can trace your every electronic movement. Sometimes what you see in Hollywood movies is not far from the truth.

For years authorities have been able to trace phone communications. What makes you think they can't do the same with the internet ?

IT IS NOT SO!Do you remember Mark John Karr?Guy stayed in most notorious part of BKK - near MalaysiaHotel.Its full of:gays,druggies,all sort of dodgy people and ...snitches.He used Yahoo and internet cafes there to send his looney emails.FBI and Thai finest were after him!

They could not localize him just through IP;they had many emails from him - he played that game long time.His place was just a mile away from ImmigrationOffice,which was hunting him!

Finally - he allowed himself to be caught,accepting regular post snail letter:came by bicycle to collect,they followed him - low-tech approach.In this way he tricked US Empire to send him home free of charge by bussines class with a lot of undesereved publicity.

I know one internet cafe,my yahoo emails from there appeares coming from..Australia

I know another - IP from there gives - exact street address.

I have no clue....