# Guerrilla Mail

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Guerrilla_Mail
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Guerrilla_Mail.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrilla_Mail
> Source revision: 1356170639
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|Free disposable email address service}}
{{use dmy dates |date=July 2023}}
'''Guerrilla Mail''' is a free [disposable email address](/source/disposable_email_address) service launched in 2006. Visitors are automatically assigned a random email address upon visiting the site.

== Features ==
Guerrilla Mail randomly generates disposable email addresses.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Greenberg |first1=Andy |title=How to Anonymize Everything You Do Online |url=https://www.wired.com/2014/06/be-anonymous-online/ |date=June 17, 2014 |access-date=17 October 2014 |magazine=[Wired](/source/Wired_(magazine)) |publisher=Condé Nast|ref=wired}}</ref> Disposable email addresses may be used as a means of [spam prevention](/source/Anti-spam_techniques).<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine |title=How to Avoid Spam—Using Disposable Contact Information |language=en-us |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/story/avoid-spam-disposable-email-burner-phone-number/ |access-date=2021-02-11 |issn=1059-1028}}</ref> They may also be used if the user does not wish to give a real email, for example if they fear a data breach. Emails sent to addresses are kept for one hour before deletion. The site offers some choice of email domain names.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Get a Free One-Hour Email Address with Guerrilla Mail |url=https://lifehacker.com/get-a-free-one-hour-email-address-with-guerrilla-mail-5852413 |access-date=2021-02-11 |website=Lifehacker |date=22 October 2011 |language=en-us}}</ref>

== History ==
Guerrilla Mail was founded in 2006 in [Chicago](/source/Chicago).<ref name=":1">{{cite news |last1=Somerville |first1=Heather |date=2014-09-27 |title=Tech responds to growing calls for Internet anonymity |work=[The Mercury News](/source/The_Mercury_News) |publisher=Digital First Media |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2014/09/27/tech-responds-to-growing-calls-for-internet-anonymity/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170430075521/https://www.mercurynews.com/2014/09/27/tech-responds-to-growing-calls-for-internet-anonymity/ |url-status=live |access-date=17 October 2014 |archive-date=30 April 2017 |ref=mercury}}</ref>

Privacy-centered services saw an up-tick in public interest after the [global surveillance disclosures beginning in 2013](/source/Global_surveillance_disclosures_(2013%E2%80%93present)), especially concerning attention brought to materials leaked by [Edward Snowden](/source/Edward_Snowden). According to ''[The Mercury News](/source/The_Mercury_News)'' in 2014, "[Guerrilla Mail] has done nearly half of its business in the past year".<ref name=":1" />

As of November 4, 2020, Guerrilla Mail stated on Twitter that their site had been taken down by their hosting provider, OVHCloud, due to a law enforcement request which OVHCloud refused to provide details about. This prompted criticisms over infringement upon freedom of speech.<ref>{{Cite tweet|user=GuerrillaMail|number=1324190197580328961|date=4 November 2020|title=It looks like or hosting provider, @OVHcloud, decided to shut down our services. The reason was that they received a law enforcement request (which they didn't forward to us, and refuse to share details about)|access-date=12 November 2020}}</ref>  

However, as of August 20, 2023, sending email from Guerrilla Mail had once again been suspended. On an X social media post on the same date, Guerrilla Mail announced "We're back online! However, the sending of outgoing emails has been suspended until further notice."<ref>{{Cite tweet | user= GuerrillaMail |date=20 August 2023 |title=We're back online! However, the sending of outgoing emails has been suspended until further notice. |number = 1693224645577576796 |access-date=26 April 2025 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.guerrillamail.com GuerrillaMail.com]

Category:Internet properties established in 2006
Category:2006 establishments in Illinois
Category:Open source projects
Category:Free software webmail

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Guerrilla Mail](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrilla_Mail) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrilla_Mail?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.