Premium Email Service Sparks Privacy Outrage

A premium email service has been slammed for letting users track other people's locations simply by sending a message. It's not a new issue, but has raised legal and ethical questions.

The email service is called Superhuman and costs $30 a month. That covers a host of features, such as being able to "unsend" a message before its read, plus an "artificial intelligence" tool to decide and highlight which incoming messages are most important.

While reviewers are split between whether it's a fantastic service for power users or just a jumped-up Gmail, one designer has laid into Superhuman for a feature that tells users when a message has been read. (Source: theregister.co.uk)

Such a 'tracking' feature is common with many messaging apps, but users willfully sign up to the app knowing that's the case. The controversy here is partly that the tracking can work without the email recipient's knowledge or consent, and partly that the way Superhuman is set up can gather the recipient's location.

Tracking Pixel Old But Effective

Superhuman doesn't use any new or particularly sophisticated technique to do this. Instead, its done by a method that dates back at least 20 years, known as a tracking pixel. This simply involves the email containing an image that's made up of a single pixel, so it's virtually impossible to see by the naked eye. In some cases, these pixels are set to be completely transparent.

When the recipient opens the email, their computer will load the image stored at Superhuman's servers. This essentially confirms the message is open and can also collect their location through their IP address. Spammers use the same technique to verify email addresses are valid, which is why you should never open a spam email.

What's sparking the controversy here is that the feature is turned on by default with Superhuman, as well as collecting and reporting the location by default. In this case the recipient is tracked just by opening the email, which may well be from somebody they know and contain a message they want to read.

Workarounds Have Limitations

There's also some question over whether this violates privacy laws. In particular it would appear to breach the European GDPR rules that require express consent before collecting personal data, which can include location.

There are several ways to avoid such tracking, but it comes with some drawbacks. Users can set their email software to disable images altogether, though that can be overkill. Some ad-blocker tools in browsers will block tracking images, though this may have to be on a case-by-case basis.

Perhaps the easiest option is using email services like Gmail that route email image requests through a proxy server. This still lets the sender know the message has been opened, but doesn't reveal the user's location or other details. (Source: theverge.com)

What's Your Opinion?

Is this a big deal or a fuss over nothing? Should tracking pixels collect and report recipient location? Should more email services follow Gmail's lead to bypass the location collection?