Paul O'Brien
@paulobrien.com
I write independently about email, privacy, and the digital systems that shape trust and control.
paulobrien.com
paulobrien.com
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Paul O'Brien
@paulobrien.com
· 12d
Email Authentication: SPF, DKIM, DMARC & Trust Signals
SPF checks delivery paths — not sender identity.
paulobrien.com
Most spam today is correctly authenticated email.
That sounds wrong — until you understand what SPF, DKIM, and DMARC were actually designed to do.
The series:
paulobrien.com/tag/email-au...
#Email
#DMARC
#Spam
That sounds wrong — until you understand what SPF, DKIM, and DMARC were actually designed to do.
The series:
paulobrien.com/tag/email-au...
#DMARC
#Spam
There isn’t one From address in email. There are six.
paulobrien.com/the-6-differ...
#Email #EmailSecurity #DMARC #SPF #DKIM
paulobrien.com/the-6-differ...
#Email #EmailSecurity #DMARC #SPF #DKIM
6 “From” Addresses Inside Every Email Explained
Emails have more than one “from” address. Learn the six sender identities inside every message and why they often don’t match.
paulobrien.com
February 8, 2026 at 9:39 AM
There isn’t one From address in email. There are six.
paulobrien.com/the-6-differ...
#Email #EmailSecurity #DMARC #SPF #DKIM
paulobrien.com/the-6-differ...
#Email #EmailSecurity #DMARC #SPF #DKIM
Every few months another data breach hits the news. Most of us shrug — until we see our own email in a breach database.
Here’s what that actually means for your digital life →
paulobrien.com/why-have-i-b...
#EmailSecurity #DataBreach
Here’s what that actually means for your digital life →
paulobrien.com/why-have-i-b...
#EmailSecurity #DataBreach
Have I Been Pwned: What Data Breaches Mean for Your Email
Check if your email appears in data breaches with Have I Been Pwned, and learn what exposed data really means for your digital identity.
paulobrien.com
February 6, 2026 at 5:44 PM
Every few months another data breach hits the news. Most of us shrug — until we see our own email in a breach database.
Here’s what that actually means for your digital life →
paulobrien.com/why-have-i-b...
#EmailSecurity #DataBreach
Here’s what that actually means for your digital life →
paulobrien.com/why-have-i-b...
#EmailSecurity #DataBreach
Apple designs some of the best products in the world, but email feels different
I’ve been embedded in the ecosystem since the first iPhone. This is the one experience that still feels like a utility, not a product Apple is trying to advance
👉 paulobrien.com/apple-email-...
#AppleMail #Apple #Email
I’ve been embedded in the ecosystem since the first iPhone. This is the one experience that still feels like a utility, not a product Apple is trying to advance
👉 paulobrien.com/apple-email-...
#AppleMail #Apple #Email
Why Apple Mail Still Lags Behind Gmail and Outlook
Apple leads in design and user experience — but its email still feels like a basic utility rather than a truly Apple-level product.
paulobrien.com
February 2, 2026 at 10:04 PM
Apple designs some of the best products in the world, but email feels different
I’ve been embedded in the ecosystem since the first iPhone. This is the one experience that still feels like a utility, not a product Apple is trying to advance
👉 paulobrien.com/apple-email-...
#AppleMail #Apple #Email
I’ve been embedded in the ecosystem since the first iPhone. This is the one experience that still feels like a utility, not a product Apple is trying to advance
👉 paulobrien.com/apple-email-...
#AppleMail #Apple #Email
Gmail didn’t become the world’s default inbox by accident.
From invitation-only experiment to global baseline — this is how reliability, scale, and ecosystem beat privacy-first ideals.
paulobrien.com/how-gmail-be...
#Email #Gmail #DigitalInfrastructure #Privacy
From invitation-only experiment to global baseline — this is how reliability, scale, and ecosystem beat privacy-first ideals.
paulobrien.com/how-gmail-be...
#Email #Gmail #DigitalInfrastructure #Privacy
Gmail: From Invitation-Only Experiment to Default Inbox
How Gmail grew from launch hype to the world’s default inbox — and why reliability, scale, and ecosystem mattered more than privacy.
paulobrien.com
January 31, 2026 at 11:40 AM
Gmail didn’t become the world’s default inbox by accident.
From invitation-only experiment to global baseline — this is how reliability, scale, and ecosystem beat privacy-first ideals.
paulobrien.com/how-gmail-be...
#Email #Gmail #DigitalInfrastructure #Privacy
From invitation-only experiment to global baseline — this is how reliability, scale, and ecosystem beat privacy-first ideals.
paulobrien.com/how-gmail-be...
#Email #Gmail #DigitalInfrastructure #Privacy
Tutanota takes the most uncompromising position in email privacy: encrypt more, expose less, accept the trade-offs.
What that really means in 2026 ↓
paulobrien.com/tutanota-in-...
#EmailPrivacy #EmailSecurity #DigitalTrust
What that really means in 2026 ↓
paulobrien.com/tutanota-in-...
#EmailPrivacy #EmailSecurity #DigitalTrust
Tutanota in 2026: Maximum Encryption, Minimal Surface Area
Tutanota prioritises maximum encryption and minimal data exposure, trading convenience for a smaller attack surface in 2026.
paulobrien.com
January 30, 2026 at 12:35 PM
Tutanota takes the most uncompromising position in email privacy: encrypt more, expose less, accept the trade-offs.
What that really means in 2026 ↓
paulobrien.com/tutanota-in-...
#EmailPrivacy #EmailSecurity #DigitalTrust
What that really means in 2026 ↓
paulobrien.com/tutanota-in-...
#EmailPrivacy #EmailSecurity #DigitalTrust
Most spam today is correctly authenticated email.
That sounds wrong — until you understand what SPF, DKIM, and DMARC were actually designed to do.
The series:
paulobrien.com/tag/email-au...
#Email
#DMARC
#Spam
That sounds wrong — until you understand what SPF, DKIM, and DMARC were actually designed to do.
The series:
paulobrien.com/tag/email-au...
#DMARC
#Spam
Email Authentication: SPF, DKIM, DMARC & Trust Signals
SPF checks delivery paths — not sender identity.
paulobrien.com
January 27, 2026 at 8:24 AM
Most spam today is correctly authenticated email.
That sounds wrong — until you understand what SPF, DKIM, and DMARC were actually designed to do.
The series:
paulobrien.com/tag/email-au...
#Email
#DMARC
#Spam
That sounds wrong — until you understand what SPF, DKIM, and DMARC were actually designed to do.
The series:
paulobrien.com/tag/email-au...
#DMARC
#Spam
We’ve made big strides in inbox security — but the email address itself is still a weak point for privacy.
Why your address leaks more about you than you might think, and what that implies for how we protect ourselves.
🔗 paulobrien.com/your-email-a...
#EmailPrivacy #PrivacyFirst #DigitalLife
Why your address leaks more about you than you might think, and what that implies for how we protect ourselves.
🔗 paulobrien.com/your-email-a...
#EmailPrivacy #PrivacyFirst #DigitalLife
Your Email Address Is Still Your Weakest Privacy Link
Privacy rarely fails through hacks. It erodes quietly as the same email address is reused across accounts, services, and years of digital life.
paulobrien.com
January 23, 2026 at 8:11 PM
We’ve made big strides in inbox security — but the email address itself is still a weak point for privacy.
Why your address leaks more about you than you might think, and what that implies for how we protect ourselves.
🔗 paulobrien.com/your-email-a...
#EmailPrivacy #PrivacyFirst #DigitalLife
Why your address leaks more about you than you might think, and what that implies for how we protect ourselves.
🔗 paulobrien.com/your-email-a...
#EmailPrivacy #PrivacyFirst #DigitalLife
Spam hasn’t gone away — it’s changed shape.
Less volume. More precision. Higher impact when it works.
This piece looks at how spam shifted from a numbers game to a trust problem — and why modern inboxes are designed around containment, not perfection.
🔗 paulobrien.com/why-spam-isn...
Less volume. More precision. Higher impact when it works.
This piece looks at how spam shifted from a numbers game to a trust problem — and why modern inboxes are designed around containment, not perfection.
🔗 paulobrien.com/why-spam-isn...
Why Spam Isn’t Disappearing — It’s Just Changing Shape
Spam hasn’t disappeared — it has adapted. An analysis of how modern spam relies on familiarity and trust rather than volume.
paulobrien.com
January 22, 2026 at 8:20 AM
Spam hasn’t gone away — it’s changed shape.
Less volume. More precision. Higher impact when it works.
This piece looks at how spam shifted from a numbers game to a trust problem — and why modern inboxes are designed around containment, not perfection.
🔗 paulobrien.com/why-spam-isn...
Less volume. More precision. Higher impact when it works.
This piece looks at how spam shifted from a numbers game to a trust problem — and why modern inboxes are designed around containment, not perfection.
🔗 paulobrien.com/why-spam-isn...
New piece for Sicla Media:
What zero-access architecture actually means — and why it matters.
It’s not about perfect security. It’s about designing systems that assume failure and reduce blast radius by default.
paulobrien.com/what-zero-ac...
#EmailSecurity #Privacy #ZeroAccess
What zero-access architecture actually means — and why it matters.
It’s not about perfect security. It’s about designing systems that assume failure and reduce blast radius by default.
paulobrien.com/what-zero-ac...
#EmailSecurity #Privacy #ZeroAccess
Zero-Access Architecture Explained: What It Really Means
Zero-access architecture changes who can read your email by design. This guide explains what it really means and why the trade-offs matter.
paulobrien.com
January 20, 2026 at 5:18 PM
New piece for Sicla Media:
What zero-access architecture actually means — and why it matters.
It’s not about perfect security. It’s about designing systems that assume failure and reduce blast radius by default.
paulobrien.com/what-zero-ac...
#EmailSecurity #Privacy #ZeroAccess
What zero-access architecture actually means — and why it matters.
It’s not about perfect security. It’s about designing systems that assume failure and reduce blast radius by default.
paulobrien.com/what-zero-ac...
#EmailSecurity #Privacy #ZeroAccess
Email addresses feel permanent — even though the services behind them aren’t.
Using your own domain keeps your identity portable and under your control.
Why it makes sense:
paulobrien.com/why-using-yo...
Using your own domain keeps your identity portable and under your control.
Why it makes sense:
paulobrien.com/why-using-yo...
Why Using Your Own Domain for Email Makes Sense
Email addresses often outlive the services behind them. Using your own domain reduces lock-in, avoids scarcity, and gives long-term control.
paulobrien.com
January 18, 2026 at 6:37 PM
Email addresses feel permanent — even though the services behind them aren’t.
Using your own domain keeps your identity portable and under your control.
Why it makes sense:
paulobrien.com/why-using-yo...
Using your own domain keeps your identity portable and under your control.
Why it makes sense:
paulobrien.com/why-using-yo...
Free vs paid email isn’t really about features — it’s about incentives, lock-in, support, and long-term control.
I wrote this to help people think more clearly about what “free” actually costs over time:
paulobrien.com/free-vs-paid...
#Email #Privacy #Security
I wrote this to help people think more clearly about what “free” actually costs over time:
paulobrien.com/free-vs-paid...
#Email #Privacy #Security
Free vs Paid Email: What You’re Really Paying With
A clear look at the real trade-offs behind free and paid email—privacy, incentives, lock-in, support, and long-term control.
paulobrien.com
January 15, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Free vs paid email isn’t really about features — it’s about incentives, lock-in, support, and long-term control.
I wrote this to help people think more clearly about what “free” actually costs over time:
paulobrien.com/free-vs-paid...
#Email #Privacy #Security
I wrote this to help people think more clearly about what “free” actually costs over time:
paulobrien.com/free-vs-paid...
#Email #Privacy #Security
Email isn’t valuable because of what you write in it — it’s valuable because it resets passwords, verifies identity, and unlocks everything else.
At internet scale, breaches are a matter of when, not if.
paulobrien.com/its-not-if-y...
#EmailSecurity #Privacy
At internet scale, breaches are a matter of when, not if.
paulobrien.com/its-not-if-y...
#EmailSecurity #Privacy
It’s Not If Your Email Provider Gets Hacked — It’s When
Email breaches are inevitable. What matters is how much damage they cause. Why modern email security assumes failure — not perfection.
paulobrien.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Email isn’t valuable because of what you write in it — it’s valuable because it resets passwords, verifies identity, and unlocks everything else.
At internet scale, breaches are a matter of when, not if.
paulobrien.com/its-not-if-y...
#EmailSecurity #Privacy
At internet scale, breaches are a matter of when, not if.
paulobrien.com/its-not-if-y...
#EmailSecurity #Privacy
I’ve added a short page explaining how I think about email — inbox control, privacy, and design.
It’s context for the rest of my writing:
paulobrien.com/how-i-think-...
It’s context for the rest of my writing:
paulobrien.com/how-i-think-...
How I Think About Email — Paul O’Brien
How I think about email after 30 years of use — from inbox zero and privacy to tools, defaults, and why control matters more than features.
paulobrien.com
January 10, 2026 at 5:51 PM
I’ve added a short page explaining how I think about email — inbox control, privacy, and design.
It’s context for the rest of my writing:
paulobrien.com/how-i-think-...
It’s context for the rest of my writing:
paulobrien.com/how-i-think-...
Many marketing emails force a binary choice: unsubscribe or nothing.
The data suggests most people don’t want to leave — they just want fewer emails.
paulobrien.com/marketing-em...
#Email
#Inbox
#Privacy
The data suggests most people don’t want to leave — they just want fewer emails.
paulobrien.com/marketing-em...
#Inbox
#Privacy
Why Some Marketing Emails Only Offer an Unsubscribe Link
Why unsubscribe-only marketing emails frustrate subscribers, what the data shows about email frequency, and why better preference controls matter
paulobrien.com
January 10, 2026 at 12:10 PM
Many marketing emails force a binary choice: unsubscribe or nothing.
The data suggests most people don’t want to leave — they just want fewer emails.
paulobrien.com/marketing-em...
#Email
#Inbox
#Privacy
The data suggests most people don’t want to leave — they just want fewer emails.
paulobrien.com/marketing-em...
#Inbox
#Privacy
Email tracking often matters more than spam.
DuckDuckGo Email Protection forwards email while removing trackers — without replacing your inbox.
My review:
paulobrien.com/duckduckgo-e...
#Email #Privacy #SpamAndTracking #theemailguy
DuckDuckGo Email Protection forwards email while removing trackers — without replacing your inbox.
My review:
paulobrien.com/duckduckgo-e...
#Email #Privacy #SpamAndTracking #theemailguy
DuckDuckGo Email Protection Review
DuckDuckGo Email Protection forwards email while removing trackers and reducing spam.
paulobrien.com
January 8, 2026 at 12:23 PM
Email tracking often matters more than spam.
DuckDuckGo Email Protection forwards email while removing trackers — without replacing your inbox.
My review:
paulobrien.com/duckduckgo-e...
#Email #Privacy #SpamAndTracking #theemailguy
DuckDuckGo Email Protection forwards email while removing trackers — without replacing your inbox.
My review:
paulobrien.com/duckduckgo-e...
#Email #Privacy #SpamAndTracking #theemailguy
Gmail may finally allow users to change their email address without losing their account.
It’s not dramatic — but it says a lot about how email identity has evolved.
paulobrien.com/you-might-fi...
#Email
#Tech
It’s not dramatic — but it says a lot about how email identity has evolved.
paulobrien.com/you-might-fi...
#Tech
You Might Finally Be Able to Change Your Gmail Address
Google appears to be rolling out the ability to change a Gmail address while keeping the same account. What it means for identity, aliases, and long-term email ownership
paulobrien.com
January 6, 2026 at 3:30 PM
Gmail may finally allow users to change their email address without losing their account.
It’s not dramatic — but it says a lot about how email identity has evolved.
paulobrien.com/you-might-fi...
#Email
#Tech
It’s not dramatic — but it says a lot about how email identity has evolved.
paulobrien.com/you-might-fi...
#Tech
Independent writing on email providers, privacy-first tools, and digital productivity.
Clear reviews. No hype. No tracking nonsense.
👉 paulobrien.com
#Email #Privacy #TheEmailGuy
Clear reviews. No hype. No tracking nonsense.
👉 paulobrien.com
#Email #Privacy #TheEmailGuy
Paul O’Brien — The Email Guy
Independent writing on email providers, privacy-first tools, and digital productivity
paulobrien.com
January 5, 2026 at 9:16 PM
Independent writing on email providers, privacy-first tools, and digital productivity.
Clear reviews. No hype. No tracking nonsense.
👉 paulobrien.com
#Email #Privacy #TheEmailGuy
Clear reviews. No hype. No tracking nonsense.
👉 paulobrien.com
#Email #Privacy #TheEmailGuy