Popular VPN provider Surfshark has launched a new feature to protect users from identity theft online.
Alternate ID allows you to create an online persona to hide your real name and email address, useful when websites need your personal information to access certain content, but you’re not particularly keen on giving it to them .
Surfshark believes the new privacy tool offers several privacy and security benefits as it helps to eliminate spam and protect your identity from theft by malicious parties, who sell the data to other cybercriminals or use it for their own attacks.
Alternate ID
The alternate email account you create forwards emails to your real email address and acts as a buffer so you can receive messages anonymously. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can easily close or change your alternate email address.
“People are constantly being asked by websites to provide their personal information, including name, address and email,” said Sarunas Sereika, product manager at Surfshark.
“At the same time, we are seeing data breaches happening at an increasing rate, and data brokers are also actively buying and selling user data.”
“Alternative ID allows users to minimize their online footprint and improve their privacy while maintaining their online freedom and worry-free login to websites or subscriptions to newsletters.”
Alternate ID generates a new online identity and email address once users choose their own gender, date of birth, and country. Other companies offer similar services, including Mozilla with its Firefox Relay, which allows users of the browser to mask their real email addresses.
However, Sereika believes that Surfshark’s solution is different because of the company’s commitment to prioritizing credibility, transparent privacy policies, and ensuring a safe and trustworthy experience for our users. as long as you want.”
To start using Alternative ID, existing Surfshark users must log in to their Surfshark One or Surfshark One+ account and select Alternative ID at my.surfshark.com/alternative-id. It is currently in beta and a full release is said to be “in the works” which will also include more features yet to be revealed.