Empowering Environmental Organizations with Free Email Services

October 22, 2024 Leave a comment

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.

How Does It Work?

  1. Eligibility: To qualify for the free email services, organizations must primarily focus on environmental issues. This can include non-profits, community groups, educational institutions, and advocacy organizations dedicated to sustainability and ecological conservation.
  2. Application Process: Interested organizations can apply directly through Runbox’s website. The application process is straightforward, allowing organizations to easily present their mission and objectives. Simply go to support.runbox.com, submit a ticket and let us know you are interested.
  3. Account Setup: Once approved, organizations receive email accounts that come with the same features as Runbox’s paid plans. This includes custom domain support, spam filtering, and secure access—all crucial for maintaining professional communication.

Benefits of Using Runbox for Environmental Organizations

  • Enhanced Privacy and Security: Runbox prioritizes user privacy, ensuring that communications remain confidential and secure. For organizations working on sensitive environmental issues, this level of protection is paramount.
  • Sustainable Operations: By using a service powered by renewable energy, organizations can feel good knowing their email communications are contributing to a greener planet.
  • Professional Image: With custom domain email addresses, organizations can maintain a professional appearance. This can be essential for building trust with supporters, partners, and stakeholders.
  • Reliable Support: 
    Runbox offers excellent customer support. This ensures that organizations can receive assistance whenever they need it. With this support, they can focus on their missions without facing technological hurdles.

By providing free email services to environmental organizations, we hope to be a partner in driving positive change for the environment. This program reflects our dedication to supporting causes that align with our values. It also underscores the importance of sustainable practices in the digital realm. You can find our Environmental Policy here.

Get In Touch!

If you’re part of an environmental group looking for reliable email solutions, consider reaching out to us. Take advantage of this valuable opportunity to further your mission. Together we can work towards a more sustainable future.

Contact us to apply

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Runbox Introduces New Affordable 3-Year Price Plans

October 10, 2024 Leave a comment

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.

Today, we are pleased to announce new 3-year price plans with a 20% discount.

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.

This means you’ll get high quality premium email services at a great value. With plans starting as low as $1.40 per month for our Micro plan, you can choose from six different pricing tiers to find the perfect fit for your storage needs. No surprises – your email service costs are transparent and locked in for three years, ensuring peace of mind and excellent service at a great price.

Runbox is an independent, employee-owned company with a focus on security, privacy, and sustainability.

See all the plans here

Here’s why we stand out

1. Sustainability First 🌱

We are committed to connecting people across our planet consistent with strong environmental principles. We care deeply about our impact on our planet and work to minimize our ecological footprint. The entire Runbox email service infrastructure runs on 100% certified hydroelectric power, and we are transparent about our efforts to remain sustainable.

2. Privacy Protection 🔐

Runbox is based in Norway, and your emails and personal data are protected by strict Norwegian and European data protection regulations. This means that your data is completely private and secure. We do not sell your data, we don’t track your usage, and we don’t share any personal information.

3. Ethical Operations ⚖️

We are an independent company guided by strong ethical values that shape our business practices, service development, and customer relationships. As an employee-owned organization, we all have a stake in our operations and we are not beholden to investors or big tech.

4. Open Source Transparency 🌐

We support open-source software which ensures the continuous auditing of our own software by the tech community.  In other words, it offers an additional layer of trust in how Runbox handles your data. Open-source systems also give you the peace of mind that there are no hidden backdoors or surveillance tactics baked into the platform.

5. Secure and Reliable ✨

We provide high-capacity, reliable service. Easily create multiple alternative addresses and different profiles for all your communication, and consolidate all your email in one place. Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of protection to your account, and encryption helps keep your communication secure. 

6. Excellent Customer Support 💬

The Runbox Team combines diverse experience serving customers around the world. Whether you’re setting up a new account or migrating from another service, our team is available to help you every step of the way. With an extensive help section, along with our Email School and how-to’s, we address any issue quickly and efficiently.

Runbox is perfect for anyone who values sustainability and privacy, and a user-friendly email platform.

See all the plans here

It’s important to have some predictability when it comes to essential services such as email. What we offer is a balance between sustainability, privacy, and affordability. With strong privacy protection, open-source transparency, and a commitment to sustainability, Runbox is much more than just an email provider. It is a platform built for users who care about the future of digital communication and our planet. Lock in a discounted price today.

Our top recommended plans

See all our plans on our Price Plan Page and experience the Runbox difference.

If you are an existing Runbox customer, thank you! You can purchase the 3-year plan directly in your account here.

There is no such thing as free email.

What’s your privacy worth?




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There’s No Such Thing as Free Email.  

September 19, 2024 Leave a comment

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.

(more…)

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Got hacked? What to do if your email account has been compromised.

July 27, 2024 Leave a comment

Suddenly you are noticing strange things happening with your email. You’re receiving email messages about login attempts, password resets and two-factor authentication codes, and your friends and family are wondering why you’re sending them weird emails. You can’t even log in to your own email account and you’ve been bumped out of your social media accounts. What is going on? Your email might have been hacked.

Don’t panic… but act quickly. You can minimize a lot of damage if you act fast and methodically.

Because your email is a gateway to all your online accounts, like banking, shopping, social media and streaming, it can potentially be a goldmine for a cyber criminal if they gain access. Here’s what you can do.

The signs that your email has been hacked

(more…)

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Special Holiday Offer from Runbox

December 19, 2023 Leave a comment

We are feeling extra merry this month and would like to make the holidays brighter with a special limited time offer:

Throughout December you get a FREE YEAR with main account renewals on the Medium plan or larger!

Giftbox

This means that your existing account plan will be immediately upgraded for TWO YEARS if you purchase the Medium, Max, Max100, or Max250 plan now.

The additional subscription time will automatically be added to the end of your current subscription.

Just go to Plans & Upgrades and log in, and then select the Medium plan or larger. Finally, proceed to the shopping cart in the top right corner and complete your payment.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Runbox!

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Update: Meta’s behavioural advertising vs GDPR

December 10, 2023 Leave a comment

This is blog post #20 in our series on the GDPR and is a continuation of the blog post # 19 which ended with this:

  • After the Norwegian (NO) DPA (Data Protection Authority) imposed a ban on Meta’s behavioral advertising and put a fine on Meta, the company brought the case to Oslo District Court asking for provisional injunction – and lost.
  • Starting om August 14, the fine of NOK 1 million per day could last until November 3, unless the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) decided otherwise, as requested by the NO DPA.

And the story continues, currently in (at least) three different processes:

Scroll down and find that the noyb has on 28 November filed GDPR complaint aganst Meta’s “Pay or Okay”.

1. Enforcement notice against Meta from Ireland’s High Court

EDPB

Following the request by the NO DPA, the EDPB published on 27 October their conclusion and adopted an urgent binding decision, and instructed the Irish (IE) DPA to take, within two weeks, final measures to stop Meta’s processing of personal data for behavioral advertising across entire European Economic Area (EEA), arguing that reference to the user contract and legitimate interest is not valid legal basis for using personal data for behavioral advertising.

The GDPR states that consent for processing of personal data is not freely given when it is bundled to accessing a service, and when the processing of personal data is not necessary to that service.

IDPC

The Irish (IE) DPA notified Meta on 31 October the EDPB binding decision, giving Meta two weeks to comply.

Ahead of this, Meta announced on 30 October the new subscription model where users can pay monthly for ad-free Facebook and Instagram services in the EEA and Switzerland, but NO DPA has informed Meta that they have strong concerns regarding Meta’s “consent” mechanism. EDPB is evaluating, and (according to our knowledge) has not concluded yet. NO DPA is of course active in this process. [source]

The Irish (IE) DPA took action 10 November and served Meta with an enforcement notice saying that the company has seven days to cease processing data for behavioral advertising. If not, the company will be fined.

However, Meta has brought a High Court challenge, resulting in a permission for Meta to bring its judicial review action, and later also to grant Meta a temporary stay on the enforcement notice from coming into effect. When the matter will return to court is unclear.

2. Meta is taking a new case against the Norwegian Data Protection Authority

Datatilsynet

Following up on the decision from 14 July this year, where Meta was notified that they may impose a fine of up to NOK 1 million (approximately USD 100 000) if Meta did not comply with the GDPR regarding consent from users of Facebook and Instagram when the company use personal data for behavioral advertising, the fine started rolling from 14 August.

The NO DPA confirms that they have sent a claim of NOK 82 mill against Meta to the State Collection Agency, a unit within The Norwegian Tax Administration.

Meta claims that the ban is invalid, and for the second time, Meta is taking the case to Oslo District Court. They also claim that the compulsory fine has to be abolished.

However, Meta has later requested that the case be dismissed, and the NO DPA has agreed to this. But the case is not laid dead, because Meta kept open the possibility to raise the matter again, awaiting the outcome of the proceedings in the EDPB [source].

NO DPA (Datatilsynet) write in an email to a Norwegian newspaper (6 December 2023), that Meta has now reluctantly paid the fine. But it is not hard to guess that the last word is not said,

3. noyb files GDPR complaint against Meta over “Pay or Okay”

noyb

Recently (28 November), the Noyb – European Center for Digital Rights, a non-profit organization based in Vienna, Austria, filed a complaint against Meta with the Austrian data protection authority, on behalf of an anonymous complainant, who is unemployed and receives benefits, and lacks the financial means to pay Meta’s subscription fee €20.99 a month to access Facebook and Instagram. [source; source]

The noyb claims that paying up to €251.88 a year to retain their fundamental rights to data protection on Facebook and Instagram is unacceptable, and in addition, if such arrangement is not stopped, other tech companies will soon follow, according to noyb. [source].

With this, noyb opened up a wider concern and perspective on the matter, which may deserve another blog post. So, stay tuned.

4. Another complaint process: Meta’s “pay-or-consent” model contravenes consumer legislation

BEUC

The European Consumer Organization (BEUC, Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs), organizing Forbrukerrådet (The Norwegian Consumer Council) and similar organizations in Europe, has filed a complaint against Meta’s changes to its service in the EU, saying that the “pay-or-consent” model is “… an unfair choice for users, which runs afoul of EU consumer law on several counts and must be stopped.”

Forbrukerrådet

The complaint is filed with the network of Consumer Protection Authorities (Consumer Protection Commission, CPC) “on the grounds of Meta engaging in unfair commercial practices in multiple ways.”

Further, the BEUC press release contains a very to-the-point list of issues that are identified under consumer protection law, and put Meta in trouble: Aggressive practice; sense of urgency; misleading consumers to believe in less tracking an profiling, and to believe that not paying then the service is “free” while they are paying through the provision of their data; the consumers do not have a real choice, because quitting the service means losing their contacts and interaction history.

Forbrukertilsynet

In Norway it is Forbrukertilsynet (The Norwegian Consumer Authority) that is entitled to impose a compulsory fine if the consumer legislation has been breached.

In addition, BEUC is also assessing whether Meta is infringing the GDPR.

Wrapping up the whole thing

There is an intense battle going on: The power of the big technology companies over people and society, versus democratic principles and how they are embodied in European legislation.

Because we at Runbox have the privacy flag hoisted, we will continue to follow what is happening in the field, and continue to keep our customers updated.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter, and Runbox take no responsibility for its accuracy. It is advised that when using the information for any purpose other than personal that the sources provided are verified. Expert advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

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New message action menu, search functionality, and HTML editor in Runbox 7

October 13, 2023 Leave a comment

We have recently upgraded Runbox 7 with a new message list action menu. Per popular request from our customers we have now implemented a new menu that is always shown above the message list, instead of as a popup menu shown only when messages are selected:

We have also upgraded the HTML editor in Compose and added font selections so that you can change the font face when writing messages.

And if you search for email often (like us) you will be happy to know that searches now support date ranges. Here are a few examples of date searches that you can use either directly in the basic search field or via the advanced search pane:

  • date:2023 All messages in 2023
  • date:202310 All messages in October 2023
  • date:20231001 All messages on October 1, 2023
  • date:2022..2023 All messages from 2022 to (and including) 2023
  • date:20231001..202311 All messages from October 1, 2023 to (and including) November 2023

For more help on email searches in Runbox 7, please see message search help.

To see all changes to Runbox 7, please go see the Changelog in the app.

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Email malware botnet dismantled by the FBI

September 22, 2023 Leave a comment

Runbox was recently informed via our Internet Service Provider that a global botnet (robot network) consisting of hundreds of thousands of computers has been disrupted by the FBI.

In a coordinated operation taking place on August 29 in the US and several European countries, the malware (malicious software) known as Qakbot was removed from a large number of infected computers around the world.

What is Qaknet?

Since 2008, Qakbot had spread to victim computers mainly through spam email messages that contained malicious attachments or links. The infected computers effectively comprised a multinational infrastructure that cybercriminals utilized to commit ransomware, financial fraud, and other criminal activities.

In recent years the Qaknet botnet grew rapidly and some estimates state that it was related to around 25% of malware websites and responsible for extorting their victims through ransom payments amounting to tens of millions of dollars over the past couple of years.

Protecting your email account

As a security and privacy conscious email service we welcome this news and congratulate law enforcement on disrupting a vast network of cyber criminals who have victimized individuals and businesses on a large scale for decades.

Qaknet has also impacted some Runbox customers and we are contacting those affected directly via email in order to ensure their accounts are secured.

We strongly recommend that all email users utilize antivirus and antimalware software in addition to the spam and virus filters that are available in your email account. You can find a comparison of such software for various platforms at Wikipedia.

More information

More information about the dismantling of Qaknet can be found here:

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Better search functionality and HTML view controls in Runbox 7

June 9, 2023 Leave a comment

With this release we are adding more advanced search features including date range searches, as well as improved HTML view controls that let you save display preferences per individual sender.

💡 To access these features, ensure that Runbox 7 is updated by reloading it in a web browser or restarting it on your phone.

More advanced search functionality

Search field controls

By clicking the wrench icon next to the search field you can now easily search only for messages that:

  • Have one or more attachments.
  • Have been replied to.
  • Are flagged.
  • Are unread.

This screenshot shows the advanced search area that provides you with extensive options for message search:

Advanced search screenshot
Advanced search area screenshot

Additionally you can now search by date ranges, for instance messages that were:

  • Received in 2023: date:2023
  • Received between 2020 and 2021: date:2020..2021
  • Received in 2021 or later: date:2021..

Improved HTML message view controls

We have also improved the HTML message view controls that allow you to save HTML and image display preferences for individual senders or for all senders.

The examples below illustrate how this functionality can be used.

HTML view options example 1

Show the text version for the current message:

HTML view options example 2

Show the HTML version with images for all messages from this sender:

Larger popular recipients list

The popular recipients list in Compose has also been improved by increasing the number of contacts from 5 to 10.

The addresses shown beneath the To field can be added to the To field by clicking on them, or dragged to the To, CC, or BCC fields.

Note that this functionality is only available when using the local search index, which is controlled by the “Synchronize index” button in the lower left corner.

Changelog since the previous release

For the more technically inclined, a list of the changes made to Runbox 7 since the previous release can be found below.

Please see https://runbox.com/app/changelog for the complete and categorized changelog.

Commits from fd5c902 to d6c1dca:

  1. Visual changes (preview): Improve formatting of the empty preview pane. (60fcacf)
  2. Visual changes (mailviewer): Increase vertical flexibility of subject field. (364272b)
  3. Visual changes (mail menu): Improve read and unread icons. (93e75ae)
  4. New feature (search): Add more options to advanced search pane. (f2104ac)
  5. Visual changes (preview): Improve HTML display buttons. (16b7a77)
  6. Internal changes (preview): Update test. (7cfda5f)
  7. New feature (search): Enable date range searches (6e8acdb)
  8. New feature (search): Enable Unread Only checkbox only if other options set (45ee5be)
  9. Bug fix (preview): Add tooltip for all senders button. (d86b6eb)
  10. Visual changes (compose): Improve and fix recently used recipients list. (ccbf85b)
  11. Bug fix (payments): Always show “payment not loading” for stripe (ff53567)
  12. Bug fix (payments): Change “payment not loading” to “not working” (e137b26)
  13. Bug fix (payments): Change “legacy” to “alternative” (d6c1dca)

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Runbox 7 updates March – May 2023: Framework upgrades and interface improvements

May 9, 2023 Leave a comment

This constitutes a major upgrade to the framework and libraries that Runbox 7 is built on, which will facilitate further continuous upgrades and features.

It also includes several bug fixes and improvements, including storing display preferences on the server. This will make the user interface work more consistently across browsers, devices, and sessions and result in a more streamlined experience.

  1. Internal changes (deps): bump ua-parser-js from 0.7.31 to 0.7.33 (75df34d)
  2. Internal changes (deps): bump jszip from 3.7.1 to 3.10.1 (ef32ab1)
  3. Bug fix (drafts): Ensure we only refresh drafts once per folders update (f024af2)
  4. Bug fix (delete): Catch/Prevent more errors by ensuring defaults (5e83f89)
  5. New feature (mailviewer): Display incoming attachment sizes (926ab4b)
  6. Bug fix (compose): More readable attachment file size display (e44fc63)
  7. Visual changes (security): Specify which special characters are allowed in passwords. (#1401) (c575f06)
  8. Internal changes (deps): Update angular2-hotkeys to v13 (85aee64)
  9. Internal changes (deps): Upgrade to angular 12 (11b3aeb)
  10. Internal changes (deps): Update nodejs version for CI (a5cd077)
  11. Internal changes (deps): Upgrade angular-datetime-picker (2a87817)
  12. Internal changes (deps): Upgrade to v13 (4c744c1)
  13. Internal changes (deps): Change swupdate.available to swupdates.versionUpdates (ad7b36a)
  14. Internal changes (deps): Move from tslint to eslint (c010fca)
  15. Internal changes (deps): Remove –aot for start-use-mockserver (08afe91)
  16. Internal changes (deps): Remove SingleMailViewerComponent from rmm6.module.ts (ddebc3f)
  17. Internal changes (deps): Upgrade cypress to 9.7 (c38f460)
  18. Internal changes (deps): Update ical.js to 1.5.0 and use ES2020 modules (9bf6dda)
  19. Internal changes (deps): Fix selectFile file path (ee83c8f)
  20. Internal changes (deps): Update dependant packages (2c11d60)
  21. Internal changes (deps): Upgrade to angular v14 (cddac42)
  22. Internal changes (deps): Explicitly specify runbox7 for build (1b07233)
  23. Internal changes (deps): Upgrade angular/material to v13 (adef6c3)
  24. Internal changes (deps): Revert to angular/material v11 for auto upgrade (97f89cc)
  25. Internal changes (deps): Manually upgrade to angular material v12 (3e04baa)
  26. Internal changes (deps): Upgrade material to v13 (3096d97)
  27. Internal changes (deps): Upgrade angular-datetime-picker to v14 (3876111)
  28. Internal changes (deps): Upgrade to material v14 (c280c39)
  29. Internal changes (deps): Fix missing hues for SCSS (6a916d5)
  30. Internal changes (deps): Update @angular-eslint packages (8b0c16f)
  31. Internal changes (deps): Upgrade to angular v15 (2374336)
  32. Internal changes (deps): Upgrade to angular material v15 (6dc73b2)
  33. Internal changes (deps): Remove duplicate @include from SCSS (b35a68a)
  34. Internal changes (deps): Change default browser for CI to firefox (ab522f6)
  35. Internal changes (deps): Upgrade npm, comment out pre-build.js integrity check (ff13958)
  36. Internal changes (deps): remove –browser firefox from e2e tests (ab8b437)
  37. Internal changes (tests): Add DISPLAY=” to ci-tests (8441a51)
  38. Internal changes (deps): Remove unused protractor dependency (6e0f935)
  39. Internal changes (deps): Upgrade core.js to v3 (7aa65d3)
  40. Internal changes (deps): Remove unused protractor files (b7c312b)
  41. Internal changes (deps): Upgrade @angular-devkit/build-angular and move angular/compiler-cli to devDependencies (4cd4bc2)
  42. Internal changes (deps): Remove unused ajv dependency (b447972)
  43. Internal changes (deps): Upgrade angular-calendar (a273376)
  44. Internal changes (deps): Update rxjs to v7 (a87c0b3)
  45. Internal changes (deps): Upgrade @angular/pwa (d4850f0)
  46. Internal changes (deps): Remove array-flat-polyfill (8c527d8)
  47. Internal changes (deps): Update moment-timezone and remove uneeded @types/moment-timezone (478eb5a)
  48. Internal changes (deps): Update rest of dependencies (excluding timymce) (5ed129b)
  49. Internal changes (deps): Update jasmine to latest version (d0084df)
  50. Internal changes (deps): Upgrade karma to latest version (da8a151)
  51. Internal changes (deps): Update ts-* deps and node types (0b7abb4)
  52. Internal changes (deps): Update start-server-and-test (ee77754)
  53. Internal changes (deps): Update eslint and @typescript-eslint (4285f0d)
  54. Internal changes (deps): Update cypress to v10 (d350af9)
  55. Internal changes (deps): Update cypress to v11 (480b506)
  56. New feature (all): Store user preferences on the server (1409515)
  57. New feature (compose): Store last used HTML compose setting (dc1a75e)
  58. Bug fix (mailview): Store “prompted for local index” preference on server (0d9085e)
  59. Internal changes (preferences): Ensures tests set defaults, test correct values (035f28c)
  60. Bug fix (preferences): Remove old style local storage after conversion (7ca13b7)
  61. Bug fix (preferences): Ensure higher server version takes precedence (d8766f8)
  62. Bug fix (preferences): Load screensize before settings (da76123)
  63. Internal changes (deps): Update cypress to v12 (4ba7f7e)
  64. Internal changes (lint): Only include src/ else we run out of js heap memory (f359c38)
  65. Internal changes (deps): bump @npmcli/arborist and npm (9cf4279)
  66. Bug fix (compose): Generate Reply/Fwd header text only when needed (7afcbf7)
  67. Bug fix (compose): Convert reply/fwd text if compose HTML default is on (c512556)
  68. Bug fix (maillist): Store and reload column widths from preferences (cfb732d)
  69. Visual changes (preview): Improve formatting of the empty preview pane. (60fcacf)
  70. Visual changes (mailviewer): Increase vertical flexibility of subject field. (364272b)
  71. Visual changes (mail menu): Improve read and unread icons. (93e75ae)
  72. Bug fix (changelog): Add missing categories and improve formatting. (fd5c902)

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