Email tracking is a method of email delivery monitoring. It allows the
sender to get a notification or log of the time the email is opened and
viewed by the recipient. Unlike with Read receipts which only sends one
confirmation that the email has been opened (and is usually purely
optional), email tracking can provide details such as which app the email
was opened in, if it was a phone or a PC, or even details about your actual
location, IP address and other personal details about you and your device,
so it’s a bit more invasive and you should be able to choose whether you
want to share such data or not.
That is why eM Client now offers options to block Email Tracking in the
mail privacy setting and if detected, will not by default download any
content that could be used to track you.
You will see this confirmation in the information bar under the message
header:
How does Email Tracking work
Email tracking is usually accomplished using standard webtracking
devices, such as web beacons. When an email message with tracking is
sent, it will contain a usually invisible tracking image (also known as
tracking pixel) or elements like hyperlinks or custom font within the
content of the message. Once the message is opened and the content is
displayed, the tracking image is accessed and therefore confirms the
message was opened. Clicking a link or an external attachment can also
activate different tracking codes that give the sender more details about
your interaction with the message.
When is Email Tracking used
These tracking technologies were originally designed and are mostly used by companies and individuals in email marketing. Tracking can provide a
lot of useful information on metrics on user responses about how often the
marketing emails are actually opened or if anything in the message
caused the user to click on the links and come to the marketer’s website.
However, the same techniques are easily misused by spammers and
phishers to verify that their emails are actually read, the email addresses
that they used are indeed valid and active and that their emails made it
past spam filters. When used maliciously, email tracking can be used to
collect confidential information and create more efficient phishing
schemes which is dangerous to both individuals and businesses.
Tracking pixels are able to show your actual IP address every time you
open the message and nowadays with GeoIP services that means that the
sender can find out your location very accurately, down to the street or
even a building you were in at the time, opening you up to dangers not
only online but in real life as well.
How to block Email Tracking in eM Client
You can find all settings for Email Tracking in Menu > Settings > Mail >
Privacy.
In the Email Tracking section, there are three options to choose from:
- Always ask
With this option, you will always be asked if you want to have your
emails tracked each time a mail tracking pixel is detected in a
message. The option to allow download of the mail tracking pixel will
be offered in the information bar under the message header in the
message detail view. The tracking pixel is of course not downloaded
until you confirm the choice.
This allows you to filter out which emails you want to load fully or keep
the tracking pixel blocked.
- Always block detected email tracking content
With this option, email tracking will automatically be blocked, and you
won’t be asked if you would like to allow or restrict email tracking for
any message. This can save up space when viewing the message as
the information bar will not pop-up, but you won’t be able to easily
change your mind about it.
- Always allow detected email tracking content
By selecting this option, email tracking will automatically be allowed so
all detected tracking pixels will be downloaded, so the sender will get
all information about the tracking each time the message is opened.
“Always ask” is the default option, so if you decide to change it, make
sure to click the “Apply” or “Save & Close” button at the top so your
preference is used next time an email with Tracking pixel is detected by
eM Client.
Even with the option being set to always block or allow you will be able to
see which messages have tracking code by the target icon in the message
list after you open the message.
You can also use the Quick filter in the top right corner of the message
list to filter out messages where Email Tracking was detected.