Remailer web webmail

A blast from the past!

A remailer is a type of anonymous remailer service that allows users to send and receive email messages anonymously. Here's a brief overview:

What is a remailer?

A remailer is a server that receives an email message, removes the sender's address, and forwards the message to another remailer or the final recipient. The remailer adds its own address as the sender, making it difficult to trace the original sender.

How does it work?

Here's a step-by-step explanation:

  1. A user composes an email message and sends it to a remailer's address.
  2. The remailer receives the message and removes the sender's address (known as "stripping the headers").
  3. The remailer adds its own address as the sender and forwards the message to another remailer or the final recipient.
  4. The recipient receives the message, but the original sender's address is not visible.

Types of remailers

There are two main types of remailers:

  1. Anonymous remailers: These remailers strip the sender's address and add their own address as the sender, making it difficult to trace the original sender.
  2. Non-anonymous remailers: These remailers do not strip the sender's address, but still forward the message to another remailer or the final recipient.

Webmail and remailers

In the early days of the internet, remailers were often used in conjunction with webmail services. Webmail services like Hotmail (now Outlook.com) and Yahoo! Mail allowed users to send and receive email messages anonymously using remailers.

Security concerns

Remailers have been criticized for their potential use in spamming, phishing, and other malicious activities. Law enforcement agencies have also used remailers to track down criminals and gather evidence.

Modern alternatives

With the rise of end-to-end encryption and secure communication protocols, the need for remailers has decreased. Modern alternatives like Tor and Signal provide secure and anonymous communication without the need for remailers.

In summary, remailers were a type of anonymous email service that allowed users to send and receive email messages anonymously. While they were popular in the early days of the internet, they have largely been replaced by more secure and modern alternatives.