In this way, law enforcement agencies may request a user’s IP address and other metadata from email providers and ISPs to trace who’s behind an email, though it requires a court order in most countries. So an email sent from an IP address can be traced to whoever is assigned that IP address at that time. Every website you visit or online service you use will refer to your device using your public IP address (unless you hide it - see below). Your mobile network operator does the same for your smartphone. Second, your ISP assigns a public IP address to your connected devices (like your home WiFi router), which is your address on the internet. But even if you create an account with only fake personal details, Google may piece together your real identity, as it logs your every move online (see how you’re tracked below). In that case, the provider will obviously be able to trace you. Learn how to block unwanted emails in Proton Mail Can you trace an email to a person?Įmail services, internet service providers (ISPs), and law-enforcement agencies may be able to identify you from your public IP address and other metadata (new window).įirst, suppose you sign up for a free email service, like Gmail, using a mobile number or other personally identifiable information. If you see it’s from an unknown or suspicious source, you can block future emails from that sender. In short, the IP addresses in emails may give you a clue as to where the email originated. However, this IP address can’t be traced to an individual without further investigation (see how you can be traced below). The email headers of messages sent from Proton Mail web and mobile apps don’t contain user IP addresses in the headers of sent mail.īut desktop email apps that use SMTP (new window), like Outlook or Thunderbird, may include the originating IP address in the header. Most popular web-based and mobile email apps don’t include the public IP addresses assigned to individuals in email headers. The IP address refers to the server the email was sent from - in this case, an email delivery service in San Antonio, Texas - but that address can’t be traced to a specific person. It also shows the IP address of the server the message was sent from.įor example, in Proton Mail, you can see an email’s header by clicking on the More menu (three horizontal dots) and selecting View headers. Check the email header (new window), which contains information about the sender, receiver, subject, and time the message was sent. The first place to start tracing an email is to look for the source IP address (new window), the string of numbers that identify devices connected to the internet.
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