StartMail

Google has admitted that state sponsored hackers from countries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are using their Gemini AI model to support "all stages" of their cyberattacks: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/google-says-hackers-are-abusing-gemini-ai-for-all-attacks-stages/

We asked our users their thoughts on what they considered the most underrated privacy threat that people don't know about. Truth be told, it was hard to pick a singular best answer, since each of these answers makes SUCH good points...so take note!

Greece will be the next country to announce a social media ban for children, according to government sources: https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/society-equity/greece-soon-announce-social-media-ban-children-under-15-government-source-says-2026-02-03/

Does the idea of moving your ENTIRE email presence to a new address sound intimidating? You can always start by using our email encryption to protect your most private messages first...like with your doctor or your bank! We promise, once you start, you'll want to use us for ALL of your messages.

A new report shows that Google, Meta, and Reddit voluntarily gave the US Dept of Homeland Security information on users who publicly expressed criticism of ICE: https://gizmodo.com/reddit-meta-and-google-voluntarily-gave-dhs-info-of-anti-ice-users-report-says-2000722279

SpaceX has revised Starlink's privacy policy to use customer data “to train our machine learning or artificial intelligence models” and share with “third-party collaborators": https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/musks-starlink-updates-privacy-policy-allow-consumer-data-train-ai-2026-01-30/

The Trump administration is petitioning the Australian government to hand over more of their citizens' data, and privacy experts are worried: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/podcast-episode/trumps-america-wants-more-access-to-your-personal-data-could-the-australian-government-hand-it-over/nw9s5x3cp

Thank you both for such kind words! Our team is here if you ever run into any issues or questions 🫶

US authorities are investigating claims that Meta “can access virtually all of WhatsApp users’ purportedly ‘private’ communications”: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/31/us-authorities-reportedly-investigate-claims-that-meta-can-read-encrypted-whatsapp-messages

Biometric trackers, license plate readers, phone location databases, digital forensics...these are just some of the surveillance tools that ICE is now deploying in the streets of the US: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/technology/tech-ice-facial-recognition-palantir.html

Any app or platform that claims to gather NO data is probably not being truthful. But as our CTO explains, any logs we keep are for the strict purpose of diagnosing and troubleshooting problems with our system. That's why we know that we'll never need more than 7 days' worth of them!

The European Commission is brokering a deal to exchange information about travelers, including fingerprints and law enforcement records, with U.S. border authorities, leaving citizens concerned: https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-moves-open-up-data-for-us-border-checks-sparking-surveillance-chills/

Google is paying $68 million to settle ANOTHER privacy lawsuit, this time from smartphone users who say that their voice-activated assistant spied on them: https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/google-settles-google-assistant-privacy-lawsuit-68-million-2026-01-26/

The UK's Home Secretary recently stated in an interview that she wants to use AI to create a "panopticon" of state surveillance where "the eyes of the state can be on you at all times": https://www.thenational.scot/news/25780001.shabana-mahmood-proposes-ai-panopticon-system-state-surveillance/

Why are Big Tech giants and governments still using the same tired arguments for violating everyone's privacy? The next time you hear someone say to you, "if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear" ask to see their unlocked phone and all of their private communications.

The UK government is putting VPN's in its crosshairs and announcing a consultation period after the House of Lords voted to ban VPN's for users under the age of 18: https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/uk-government-targets-vpns-in-new-online-safety-consultation-as-lords-vote-for-ban

TikTok's new US joint venture has changed its privacy policy to collect more precise location data from its 200 million American users: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgnj7v2rr5o

Microsoft has confirmed that they will hand over your encryption keys to authorities if they are handed a subpoena, and their forced online accounts give users no recourse. https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/windows-11/microsoft-bitlocker-encryption-keys-give-fbi-legal-order-privacy-nightmare