Replying to Avatar sommerfeld

I tried to sign up for a new mail account using the Tor browser in Protonmail, Tutanova and Skiff, which are (to my knowledge) the most recommended privacy preserving email providers.

Registration failed in all of them, after many repeated attempts with different Tor circuits.

Ngl, extremely disappointing the state of private email in 2023.
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nobody 2y ago

Did you try using a simple vpn? Tons of stuff blocks tor nodes now due to abuse. It’s disappointing, but not impossible to understand.

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sommerfeld 2y ago

I always use a vpn at the router level. This was just an experiment. I have no issue registering over a VPN but that is besides the point.

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nobody 2y ago

I get you. Tuta tried with Tor but it became an abuse vector (from what I’ve read).

A lot of network gear now blocks tor by default. It’s a sad state.

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BzzT! 2y ago

Would using a VPN to sign up for an email over Tor (provided you could) afford you better or worse privacy?

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sommerfeld 2y ago

VPN + Tor is practically the same as just using Tor, the difference being that your ISP no longer knows you're using Tor (they just know you're using a VPN) but you vpn provider knows you're using Tor.

From the perspective of the website, you're using Tor in both scenarios.

I use Tor with a VPN just because I don't want to bother turning the VPN off but I know it makes absolutely no difference in my experience.