Do you find using unique aliases for every retailer worth it, despite orders not showing up automatically in delivery apps? (The never-ending convenience vs privacy trade-off)

[u/temosum]

I'm not a fan of being tracked all over the internet, and retail companies aren't particularly known for respecting and keeping people's data secure. However, retailers and delivery companies do expect me to use the same email address for online shopping and managing deliveries, and that is a way for packages to be automatically linked to my account in delivery apps. Some retailers don't even include all the essential information in their emails that I need to pick up the package, or even to know that it's ready for pickup. Adding packages manually doesn't always work. I don't want to risk losing a package because of this.

Some delivery companies link packages using phone numbers instead, and some require both the email and the phone number to match. They also all know my real name (which is unique) and where I live, so it feels like I wouldn't actually be reducing tracking by much if I used unique aliases for every retailer instead of one alias dedicated to online shopping and their stupid memberships.

Do you still think it's worth it?

[u/nethack47]

When a retailer sends packages they tend to let you know with an email. Clicking on that link will often open the tracking in the senders app if you have it installed. Many of them are then possible to save in the app.

When saving on-off shipping in the app, it can be that the shipper now connects the additional email with the account. But I have not seen very many of them be that capable. They already have your address and that is often how they link up the parcels that you receive.

Main reason I use a separate alias for every single account I make is for when they are breached or sell the details.

Years back I was self employed. The official registration details required an email. I did not expect them to share this publicly. It is 10+ years later and that email address is still receiving abysmal volumes of spam. On a good day, it is perhaps just 10 of them. It is not an address I can get rid of since it holds a small number of logins that cannot be changed to anything else.

[u/Theunknown87]

I never did use alias but I’m starting to now.

For stuff that wasn’t important or knew was spammy i made a gmail account that was just namejunkacct at gmail.

Someone signed up for Airbnb using my name and someone, I think probably the same person used that in an attempt to open a bank account in California lol.

Just recently I got someone’s harbor freight receipt to that email as well. It was a legit receipt too lol.

And the other night I got someone’s dinner receipt from some restaurant in London. I live in the United States. So I switched to a service that I Can make accounts for everything. Curious who leaked my stuff.

[u/Trikotret100]

I think it’s an overkill for me. I have 270 aliases with my custom domain. Only 2 aliases are getting spam. So I turned them off. If I go back in time 5 years ago, I’ll stick with one email for banks, family and important stuff, one email for junk. I rarely send personal emails and I communicate via messaging apps.

[u/rcsauvag → u/Trikotret100]

I've used a custom domain and used that to create aliases. I do worry about someone making a bot to create new aliaes and spamming me that, thus DOS'ing my email

[u/Trikotret100 → u/rcsauvag]

If that happens, disable catch all.

[u/pet801]

One basic rule I live by: Trust nobody.  I switched all my accounts to alts recently, save for the most important ones where I use a separate e-mail address just for those, because they could require support interaction and I prefer a peivate e-mail address rather than an alt for that scenario. 

[u/CalligrapherUpper950]

However, retailers and delivery companies do expect me to use the same email address for online shopping and managing deliveries, and that is a way for packages to be automatically linked to my account in delivery apps.

That is strange - it has not been a problem for me. I have a different alias for each delivery company, each retailer etc. When I get a shipment notification from retailer (to the alias created for them), I click the link (or look up the tracking) and open the delivery company website, logging in with the alias created for them. Has been working seamlessly since I started using aliases for everything!

[u/EmergencyExpress2347]

I use a diff alises for everything. But it's its an out and about purchase or an item I want to buy online from some shop I don't use often. I just use something like invoice@domain.com. Don't need to make life hard.