What is a relay? A simple guide to privacy protection

Have you ever given your email address to an online store, only to receive tons of unwanted ads for months afterwards? Or worried about where your personal data actually ends up? If so, an email relay is just for you. In this article, we'll explain this concept as simply as possible.

Email Relay - What is it?

Imagine your real email address is the Main Post Office, where all your most important letters and packages arrive. You don't want every market vendor, every new website to have direct access to it.

A Relay acts like a Post Office Box in the virtual world.

• Your real email address = Main Post Office (secret, only for friends and trusted institutions)
• Relay = Post Office Box (anonymous address that you give out online)

When someone sends a message to your Post Office Box address (the relay), the letter is safely forwarded to your Main Post Office. The sender doesn't know where you actually live. This is exactly what Hetman Relay does - it creates these virtual Post Office Boxes, or relays, for you.

How does it work in practice? Mark's Story

Meet Mark, who will show you how it works in practice.

Instead of giving out his precious, private address mark.smith@gmail.com, uses a relay generated by Hetman Relay, for example tavotovove@my-relay.app.

1. Registration: wants to use a new online service. Instead of risking it and giving out his main email address, he uses a relay.
2. Forwarding: The service sends a registration confirmation email to tavotovove@my-relay.app.
3. Delivery: Hetman Relay instantly forwards this message to Mark's real email address.
4. The Result: The website never learns Mark's real address! If a data breach occurs, Mark's real address remains hidden and safe. If problems arise, Mark can easily deactivate that relay.

Why use relays? 3 Main Benefits

1. An End to Spam
   As soon as an online store tries to send you an unwanted ad or its database gets leaked, you can simply... turn off the relay. It's like closing a Post Office Box that someone is putting junk mail into. Spam and offers have no way of reaching you, and your main inbox stays clean.
2. Protection Against Data Breaches and Data Profiling
   When you use the same email address everywhere, hackers can link your accounts across different services. If you use your.mail@email.com for both a cooking store and a mountain climbing forum, a hacker knows you like cooking and climbing. They can use this for personalized phishing attacks. With relays, every registration has a unique address, making it impossible to link your online activity like this.
3. Full Control and Peace of Mind
   With relays, you have full control. You know which service uses which address. If one of them starts spamming you or acts unethically, you simply disable the relay assigned to it. You decide who can write to you.

Who is an email relay for?

A Relay is a simple yet powerful tool for anyone who:

• Shops online and doesn't trust stores with their email address.
• Registers on new services, apps, or online forums.
• Wants to increase their online privacy protection.
• Simply dislikes spam and wants to regain control of their inbox.

Summary: Your Virtual Post Office Box

An email relay is like an anonymous Post Office Box for your online activity. It protects your primary address, helps fight spam, and gives you unprecedented control over who can contact you.

You don't need to be a tech expert to use one. If you want to regain control of your email inbox and feel safer online, Hetman Relay lets you create your first relay in just a minute. Try it and see how simple privacy protection can be.