Digital Safety DiscoTech: Make alternate contact info

Prepared by Samuel Mendez

Our Digital Safety Kit for Public Health helps public health professionals and students reduce the harm of online harassment and anti-science aggression. But we recognize that it can be hard to know where to start. And we know it can be hard to make time to act on our recommendations on your own. So, we’re offering this DIY Digital Safety DiscoTech guide to help you create community spaces for digital safety at your organization. This section is about making alternate contact info. See the full DIY Digital Safety Disoctech guide for more. 

Why should I use alternate contact info?

Making alternate contact info gives you more control over what info circulates online. Each time you enter your contact info on a website, there is a chance that company will sell it to a data broker. If you give companies throwaway contact info, they can’t sell anything traceable to you. Each time you give someone your contact info, they become a potential source of that info for someone else. If you reserve certain contact info for networking, you can easily stay in touch with loved ones even if you take a break from checking your professional communication channels due to unwanted attention.

What kinds of alternate contact info can I use?

You can use throwaway email addresses and phone numbers to register accounts you only plan to use once. You can use an email or phone forwarding service to register for accounts longer-term without giving away your actual contact info. You can create a new phone number and email address that you use for professional or commercial purposes only. You can pay for a PO box or a virtual mailbox service for a mailing address you can give others without exposing your home address.

What can I do right now?

• Go to Temp Mail and io to see what it’s like to use throwaway contact info.
• Make a new email account on your platform of choice to use only for online shopping, networking, or registering for professional events.
• Practice: create a Google Voice number and delete a Google Voice number
• Identify one website where you will use alternate contact info next.

How do I use a throwaway email address?

You can use a website like Temp Mail to create an email address that only exists for a short time. You can use these for one-time emails, such as when you need to sign up for an email list to receive an online report from an organization. Avoid such services in cases where you expect to receive sensitive information or anticipate needing to use the email address to log in again. Remember: using your personal phone number or full name on the same form might defeat the purpose of using a throwaway email address.

How do I use a throwaway phone number?

There are many free web services for throwaway phone numbers to receive a one-time SMS, such as quackr.io. These are typically pooled numbers, meaning multiple people can access the same number. Be aware that you will likely not be able to use the same number twice. As with throwaway email addresses, do not use these services to receive sensitive information, or to set up an account you expect to access more than once. Again: using your full name or personal email address on the same form might defeat the purpose of using a throwaway number.

How do I use an email forwarding service?

A quick, free option is to create new Gmail accounts that you share for professional purposes or commercial purposes only. You could also use a more privacy-focused email service provider like Proton Mail.

To manage multiple accounts, you can automatically forward emails to a primary account and make inbox filters to organize them. Remember: don’t reply to emails from the address you want to keep private. Set up an email alias or log in to the alternate email account if you want to reply.

You can use a paid service like SimpleLogin to streamline the process for creating and managing many email addresses. Paid services often offer a free tier or a free trial. Privacy-oriented services like DeleteMe also offer email forwarding, sometimes called “email masking.”

How do I use a phone forwarding service?

A quick free option to create a new phone number is Google Voice. This lets you create a new number and use a dedicated app to receive/send phone calls and text messages. Paid services like EasyRinger support more features and more numbers. Privacy-oriented services like DeleteMe also offer phone number forwarding, sometimes called a “masked phone.” You could also just strategically use an office number or a prepaid SIM on a second phone.

The point of having a second number is disposability. This allows you to only give your primary phone number to trusted loved ones and colleagues. You can more easily change your public-facing phone number in case of harassment. Using one of these methods also makes it easier to receive help in screening or documenting messages in case of harassment. For example, you can give someone your second phone, change the forwarding number for a paid service, or log in to Google Voice on someone else’s computer.

How do I use a PO box?

If you don’t have an office mailing address and you regularly receive professional correspondence at your home, consider signing up for a PO box. This way, you have a mailing address you can give away more freely than your home address. And you can easily change your mailing address if need be.

How do I use a virtual mailbox?

An alternative to a PO box is a paid virtual mailbox service like PostScanMail. These companies receive your mail and scan it for you to receive digitally. These services differ in their options for physical mail forwarding and package pickup.