Protecting Your Privacy – The Runbox Commitment

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. The need for data privacy and the ability to communicate freely has never been more critical. Both individuals and businesses rely on secure online communication to safeguard sensitive information, especially as surveillance technologies continue to monitor and exploit digital interactions. At Runbox, we believe that privacy is more than just a feature; it is the core value that guides our service and our operations. Located in Norway, we are deeply committed to user privacy, which is supported by the country’s strong legal framework. Here, we explore why our location is vital for your privacy protection and how it aligns with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The Right to Privacy

Privacy is not just a fundamental human right; it’s a cornerstone of our online lives, particularly when it comes to email communication. At Runbox, we understand the significance of protecting our users’ privacy. We view data privacy as an essential aspect of our operations and are committed to safeguarding it through stringent practices.

Norway’s Strong Privacy Laws

Norway’s privacy laws are among the most comprehensive in the world, and the robust privacy legislation provides a solid framework for protecting user data. As a Norwegian company, Runbox is subject to The Personal Data Act, which prioritizes user privacy over commercial interests. Stringent privacy regulations require transparent data collection and processing based on user consent. This legal framework creates a protective barrier for your data, and it holds companies like ours accountable for our actions. It means that we only collect minimally necessary data in order to provide services to you.

The Norwegian privacy laws are enforced by the Norwegian Data Protection Authority, which oversees compliance and provide independent oversight. This authority enforces strict regulations and ensures that organizations uphold their privacy obligations. This gives you peace of mind that your personal information is secure.

Compliance with GDPR

Runbox is compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), because Norway is a part of the European Economic Area (EEA). The GDPR is one of the strictest data protection frameworks globally. GDPR emphasizes principles such as user consent, data minimization, and individuals’ rights to control their personal data. This alignment with GDPR means that we collect only the essential information needed to provide our services, always with your explicit consent. We have clear policies on how we collect, store, and handle information. This ensures that our users have control over their personal data.

GDPR also grants you various rights, such as the right to access your data, the right to rectification, and the right to erase your data. At Runbox, we respect and uphold these rights, ensuring that your control over your information is never compromised.

User Empowerment

User empowerment is a fundamental principle at Runbox. We focus on giving individuals control over their personal data and online privacy. We strive to make our policies clear and accessible, because we believe that every user deserves to understand how their data is handled. Our Privacy Policy outlines exactly what information we collect, how it’s used, and the measures we take to protect it. We don’t hide behind complicated jargon or obscure language. Instead, we present the information in straightforward terms so that users can make informed decisions about their data.

Runbox Privacy Commitment

We explicitly state our commitment to user privacy in our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Runbox does not scan your emails for advertising purposes, nor do we share your data with third parties without your explicit consent. We actively protect you from external tracking and data misuse. Our servers, housed in secure facilities in Norway, ensure your email and account data remain safe from unauthorized access.

Protection against Surveillance

Runbox ensures that your data cannot be used for purposes other than what it was originally collected for, except with your consent. If a legal request is made for your data, it must first go through a complex process involving Norwegian authorities, and a court order is required before any information can be disclosed. Requests from foreign authorities, including those from the U.S., must follow a diplomatic process that ensures adherence to Norwegian law. Additionally, Norwegian law prohibits surveillance of your communications unless authorized by a valid court order, and independent oversight bodies ensure that any surveillance is lawful and minimal. This commitment to privacy means that your data is shielded from unnecessary access, government surveillance, and unauthorized use.

Transparency

Runbox believes in transparency. We are committed to ensuring that any requests for user data from national or foreign authorities are met with rigorous scrutiny, and we will only disclose information under strict legal requirements. Our Transparency Report is a testament to our commitment to keeping users informed and empowered regarding their privacy rights.

Key Highlights of Runbox’s Privacy Practices

  1. Norwegian Jurisdiction: Runbox operates under Norwegian privacy laws, ensuring high standards of data protection.
  2. Data Storage: All email and account data is stored in Norway, on our own secure servers.
  3. Strict Disclosure Policies: We do not disclose account information or email data unless strict legal requirements are met.
  4. No Data Mining: We do not scan your emails for advertisement purposes or share your data with third parties.
  5. Limited data retention: We are not obligated to maintain extensive traffic logs, which enables us to delete your data promptly upon request.
  6. Enhanced Security: We utilize SSL encryption for all server connections, ensuring that your data remains secure during transmission.
  7. No External Tracking: Our hosting provider does not log any traffic to or from our servers, further protecting your privacy.
  8. You Retain Control: You control your own data and may change, export, or delete it at any time.
  9. Perfect Forward Secrecy: We enforce Perfect Forward Secrecy on all web connections, ensuring that transmitted data cannot be decrypted retroactively.

In Summary

Choosing Runbox means choosing a secure email provider that prioritizes your privacy and peace of mind. By trusting Runbox, you can communicate freely, knowing that your privacy is safeguarded by some of the world’s most stringent regulations. In these uncertain political times, where privacy is increasingly under threat, Runbox’s compliance with Norwegian privacy laws and GDPR offers a crucial safeguard for users. With its strong legal protections and oversight, we ensure that your data remains shielded from government surveillance and unauthorized access, providing a rare level of security and peace of mind in an era of global data vulnerabilities.

For more information about our privacy commitments, visit the Runbox Privacy Policy page. Your privacy matters, and at Runbox, we are dedicated to protecting it.

You can find more information about how we deal with requests for access to data here.

We have written extensively on this subject. Check out our series on GDPR here.

What’s your privacy worth?

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Reboot Your Digital Life: Tidy Up Your Tech for the New Year

January is often a time when we reassess and reorganize. After the holiday rush and the chaos of the previous year, the start of a new year feels like the perfect moment to take a step back and refocus. For many of us, this often means decluttering our physical spaces—cleaning out closets, sorting through old items, and clearing off countertops. But what about our digital lives?

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The FTC’s Report on Big Tech’s Personal Data Overreach: What You Need to Know

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has released a report exposing how Big Tech companies are overstepping privacy boundaries in their quest for user data. The report reveals the massive amount of personal information these companies collect, store, and profit from. Often, this is done without clear user consent or transparency. As concerns over data privacy grow, the report highlights the urgent need for stronger regulation and more responsible data practices.

In this blog post, we’ll break down the key findings of the FTC’s report and discuss how this overreach affects your privacy, along with what actions you can take to protect your data.

Key Findings of the FTC’s Report on Big Tech’s Data Practices

The FTC’s report, titled “A Look Behind the Screens: Examining the Data Practices of Social Media and Video Streaming Services” offers an in-depth look at how major technology companies, including Facebook (Meta), Google, Amazon, and others, are handling your personal data. Below are some of the major findings:

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Domains are for life, not just for…

We’ve written before about domains and how you can use your own domain with Runbox. However, there are some considerations to be made before you decide to get a domain and it’s easy to overlook some of the responsibilities you might be taking on.

In this blog post we want to add some further details to the topic of registering and owning a domain based on some of the ongoing considerations (and problems) our own customers have had to face when managing their domains.

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EU’s AI Act: What it is all about

From the perspective of the general public and society as a whole, so-called Artificial Intelligence (AI) was largely invisible until OpenAI removed the veil over GPT-3.5/ChatGPT in 2022.

Since then, the interest and use of AI, and General Purpose AI (GPAI), has exploded. AI implementations are creeping in everywhere, to great benefit in many respects. However, the warning signs are many — manipulated images, fabricated conversations, falsified news stories, and fake video-presented events can lead to unforeseeable negative consequences, for instance in influencing democratic elections.

This is also the case when AI is used to make decisions, since we know that there is always a risk of “AI hallucinations” where AI software produces incorrect or misleading information.

This simplified outline can serve as background for the EU’s AI Act, whose purpose is to put a societal control over the use and influence of AI/GPAI in particular, and the big tech companies in general.

So let’s dig into the matter, with the aim to describe what EU AI Act is, and to clarify its consequences, if any, for Runbox.

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Runbox Ensures User Security and Privacy through Unique Email Addresses

Runbox is dedicated to maintaining user security and privacy. A key practice that supports this commitment is our policy of not recycling email addresses. We do not assign old addresses to someone else.

Runbox is committed to user security and privacy, and a fundamental part of this commitment is our policy of always using unique email addresses for our users. We understand that your email address is a critical component of your digital identity, which is why we never reassign old addresses to new users. This practice safeguards your personal information and ensures that your communications remain private and secure.

By avoiding the reuse of email addresses, we help eliminate the risks associated with recycled addresses. This includes potential unauthorized access to sensitive information or confusion from multiple users sharing the same address. This approach not only protects your identity but also fosters a more reliable and trustworthy communication environment.

Using unique email addresses offers several benefits:

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Empowering Environmental Organizations with Free Email Services

In an age where digital communication is essential, the tools we use to connect can significantly impact our mission and reach. We are committed to fostering a sustainable future, and support those who work tirelessly to protect our planet. As part of this mission we offer free email services to environmental organizations.

Who We Are

Runbox is an environmentally conscious email service provider that prioritizes privacy, security, and sustainability. Based in Norway, Runbox operates on renewable energy and aims to minimize our carbon footprint. Our services are designed to be user-friendly while offering advanced features that cater to both individual users and organizations.

Supporting Environmental Organizations

This program is part of our broader commitment to fostering a sustainable future and supporting those who work tirelessly to protect our planet. It reflects our dedication to supporting causes that align with our values. Effective communication can lead to increased awareness, greater community engagement, and stronger advocacy efforts. This support helps create a network of informed and active citizens dedicated to environmental causes.

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Runbox Introduces New Affordable 3-Year Price Plans

Runbox is dedicated to providing sustainable email services from the heart of Norway, where strict privacy regulations safeguard your data. We’re excited to introduce 3-year plans that offer a 20% discount. By choosing Runbox, you support sustainable practices that make a positive impact on the environment while enjoying fast, secure, and privacy protected email services from Norway.

We pride ourselves on delivering premium email services at an affordable price. In fact, we have not increased our prices since our company’s inception, and at the same time we have added substantial storage to all our plans. In a time when price hikes on essential services have become the norm, we believe in offering you predictability and stability for a service as vital as email.

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There’s No Such Thing as Free Email.  

The Real Cost of Our Digital Communications is Our Privacy. 

You’ve been happily using “free” email for years, and haven’t thought much about it. The problem is that it’s not really free. You become the product, and you pay with your privacy. Let’s dive into what it means.

1. Free is not free

With countless services offering “free” email accounts, it’s easy to assume that we can communicate without any cost. But companies that offer free email typically rely on advertising revenue, which means they collect vast amounts of data about our habits, interests, and communications. They use this information to tailor advertising, and that’s how they make money.

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