Email headers

[AlexR]

Hi,

I've recently set up an alias in my Fastmail full account - something like misteralex at fastmail fm to use an address which I can 'throw away' in the event that it gets spammed. However, I've noted that when I look at the header info for mails sent to this address my normal fastmail email address is shown. This worries me a little as it would seem to mean that someone can read the header and get my real address and spam me, or worse. Can everyone who I send mails to using an alias see my real address if they look at the header?

I send mails through Thunderbird normally, but understand from FM's help pages that if I send mails from the web interface the header info is automatically encrypted - which is great. Is this true? Have I understood correctly?

Would it be possible to add a new feature to FM accounts which would allow all users, independant of use of web interface or email client to switch off or otherwise disguise the real email address? I don't know if this would be technically feasible, but it certainly would be useful.

I've recently signed up for another year with Fastmail, because I am very pleased with its service, although I'm getting more spam than I used to - possibly because I very stupidly, I know, opened a mail and switched on the view images feature which must have activated a webbug. I feel like shooting myself over this, but it was my fault and the damage is now done - at least Fastmail picks up the spam and puts it into the junk folder. Hey ho. We live and we learn.

Alex

[JRobert]

Originally posted by AlexR
I've recently set up an alias in my Fastmail full account - something like misteralex at fastmail fm to use an address which I can 'throw away' in the event that it gets spammed. However, I've noted that when I look at the header info for mails sent to this address my normal fastmail email address is shown. This worries me a little as it would seem to mean that someone can read the header and get my real address and spam me, or worse. Can everyone who I send mails to using an alias see my real address if they look at the header?

You're looking at your incoming mail, and at the topmost header-lines, right? Those headers are added by FM while delivering your mail to you. They show you how/why the mail came to your mailbox, even if you were only a bcc: recipient.

If you send yourself a message from FM to a non-FM account and read the headers, you can see what others can (and can't) see when you send to them.

-jeff-