Navigating a Private Future: StartMail’s Long-Term Mission

I first joined the fight for online privacy in 2006, when my Co-Founder David and I launched the world’s most private search engine Startpage. Since then, the digital world has changed dramatically. Back in the days, we were still a relatively small community of privacy-enthusiasts fighting for privacy as a basic human right. It wasn’t until a few years and key events later that more people began to understand the significance of our mission.

In 2012, Google implemented a privacy policy and terms of service that enabled the company to gather and combine user data from all of their products, creating a unified profile that could be used for targeted advertising and profiled search results. A year later, the world was rocked by Edward Snowden’s whistleblowing of the NSA’s mass surveillance on citizens. Big Tech companies had been quietly forced to provide backdoors into the data they had collected. This was a pivotal moment that transformed public perception. The government was spying on its own citizens, in the name of national security, violating their fundamental rights as human beings.

A year later, the world was rocked by Edward Snowden’s whistleblowing. It was a pivotal moment that transformed public perception, revealing that the government was spying on its own citizens in the name of national security. However, it wasn’t the government alone violating their fundamental rights as human beings. The actual data gathering was done by Big Tech companies, who were quietly forced to provide backdoors into their data to government organizations. This intricate web of surveillance, involving both the government and private sector, further underscored the gravity of Snowden’s revelations.

It was during this period that we launched StartMail in 2013, as one of the first privacy-focused email providers. We have always been passionate about privacy and recognized the pressing need for secure and private email communication in the face of increasing surveillance by governments and Big Tech companies. More than 10 years later, our mission has remained unchanged: to put you back in control of your data and to advocate for privacy as a universal human right. We provide the tools you need to manage your email account and keep your data private.

The privacy industry has undergone significant changes and growth in the past two decades, with new companies emerging, some surviving, and others falling by the wayside. As long-time advocates of privacy-by-design, we have always welcomed the rise of other privacy-focused services. It's essential that users have the freedom to choose the service that best suits their needs, and I see every move towards greater privacy as a step in the right direction.

However, when a privacy-focused company shuts down unexpectedly, we sometimes receive inquiries about our own service's longevity, as users seek reassurance. We understand these sentiments and are committed to being transparent in our communication. A good moment to reconfirm our company's mission and financial structure to reassure you that we are in it for the long-haul.

The Cost of Privacy: Financing a Privacy-Focused Company

First, I want to talk about the cost of privacy. Following the recent acquisition of Skiff, we received a number of questions, along the lines of “Why isn't StartMail free?”. StartMail has indeed been a paid service since the beginning – but that does not mean we are in it for the money.

StartMail was privately funded from the beginning and is run by a small, hard-working team of privacy-enthusiasts, based in the Netherlands. As a company we are independent from any commercial third parties or governments. We do what we do because we truly believe that privacy is a fundamental right worth fighting for. Over the past 10+ years, many of you have put their trust in our services. But running a privacy-focused business, free from advertising and tracking, is not free.

We ask for a subscription fee because your subscription is our only revenue source and directly funds our services, ensuring robust privacy and security without third-party influences. It pays the salaries of our team members – from the developers of our product, to our support staff who ensure our customers get the assistance they need when they need it, as well as the servers we own. You hire us to handle your email. We answer to you, not marketers, corporate investors, or government agencies. Our mission is to protect your privacy and deliver a great email service at a fair market price.

Unlike so-called 'free' email providers, StartMail has always been straightforward about its business model. Many 'free' services make money from harvesting your personal data for advertising or market research. They scan your emails for information to use or sell, compromising your privacy. StartMail doesn't.

And as demonstrated recently, even well-intentioned free services often face financial challenges, relying on unpredictable funding sources that might influence their operations. Even nonprofit organizations answer to the people who pay their overhead and salaries, which could include large corporations and government agencies.

We believe in offering a transparent, privacy-focused email service for a reasonable fee, to ensure your emails remain private. An investment in your privacy that delivers you peace of mind and contributes to the stand against invasive surveillance should be well worth $5 a month.

From Long-Term Stability to Future Innovations

I am incredibly proud of the StartMail Team and its commitment to security, privacy, and user control. With no pressure to cater to the wishes of investors or other parties, we can develop features that directly benefit our customers, with every update made with user privacy and security in mind. Despite inflation, we have been able to maintain the same prices on all StartMail plans since day one, providing budgeting stability for our customers.

As StartMail evolves, we’re committed to keep doing what we do best: protecting your privacy and your freedom of choice by giving you control over your email data! In the coming months, we are excited to build out solutions tailored to the needs of families, teams, and small businesses. Among these upcoming developments are shared domain aliases, to allow for more collaboration and expanding our domain offerings.

We have a long-term mission, and we don’t plan on going anywhere. And as long as you, our customers, continue to support our mission, StartMail will have the funds to deliver you an uncompromised service for the long haul. And you’ll know you’re paying your fair share and doing your part to take a stand against privacy invasions and surveillance.

Thank you for being a part of our StartMail community!