Proton Mail, one of the benchmarks in the encrypted messaging market, has just published a new instructive study. According to the data collected, nearly 50% of emails contain trackers. These web beacons secretly collect and share information about users, such as location, devices or usage.
You may be familiar with Proton Mail. This encrypted messaging system based in Switzerland is one of the benchmarks in this area and notably offers end-to-end encryption and zero access. The company has just shared the results of its latest study devoted to beacon pixels, these small 1-pixel images saved in PNG or GIF format used to discreetly collect user data.
These trackers are mainly used by companies and firms specializing in marketing, particularly in newsletters and commercial announcements, to analyze user behavior and obtain certain key data such as location and devices.
50% of analyzed emails contain a tracking pixel
The findings of this study, carried out on a substantial database of 333.2 billion emails sent and received every day around the world (according to data from the Statista site), are instructive. For example, Proton Mail claims that nearly half, or 166.1 billion emails contain web beacons.
This analysis was performed by counting, anonymously, the number of trackers blocked by encrypted messaging. With a sample of 177 million blocked trackers, this represents, according to Proton Mail, one of the largest studies ever carried out on the subject.
Also read: ProtonMail – anonymous mail delivers IP addresses of certain users
Trackers everywhere, including on iOS
After having introduced a feature on the iOS application for its messaging system to automatically block trackers, Proton Mail has noticed in a few months an increase in the number of trackers blocked by around 46%.
“Web beacons are a very intrusive way for marketing companies to collect ever more personal information about users without their consent. It’s like having someone constantly over your shoulder, watching your every move as you open and read an email, noting what type of device you’re using, your internet provider, and even your location. ”, explains Andy Yen, founder and CEO of Proton Mail.
He pursues : “This kind of surveillance is unacceptable, especially on the scale at which it occurs, and when users are generally unaware of it.” As a reminder, a study published in February 2021 also revealed that two thirds of our emails contain a tracking pixel.
