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How can I stop Firefox from leaking my email address?

BumbleBee
BumbleBee
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Occasionally, after visiting a legit/non-questionable/non-sleazy website that I’ve never been to before, I'll get an email from that site immediately, after leaving the site. These have been just plain websites that are selling a product (roofing, windows, etc.). HOW ARE THEY GETTING MY EMAIL ADDRESS???!!! So, far this only happens when using Firefox.

Are they getting it thru Firefox AFTER I’ve used my email address (as a username) after having logged out of a previously visited website? (And yes, I know I can just delete my history after leaving those logged in websites, but I shouldn’t have to... However, when/if I do log into a financial institution, I ALWAYS CLOSE that browser window after logging out.)

OR, are they possibly getting my email address thru a Firefox extension, “Video DownloadHelper” (installed thru Firefox), where I CAN SEE my email address (and license#) listed in the extension’s settings for its Companion App? And, if it IS this extension, how can I get Mozilla to block that info from sites I visited??!!! (other than uninstalling the extension)

Using Firefox, v129.0.2, 64-bit. and Windows 10 Pro, 22H2, build 19045.4780 (although Firefox shows: "Windows_NT 10.0 19045"). Also, auto-fill is unchecked in Firefox settings and I NEVER save usernames/passwords in of thru my browser.

Occasionally, after visiting a legit/non-questionable/non-sleazy website that I’ve never been to before, I'll get an email from that site immediately, after leaving the site. These have been just plain websites that are selling a product (roofing, windows, etc.). HOW ARE THEY GETTING MY EMAIL ADDRESS???!!! So, far this only happens when using Firefox. Are they getting it thru Firefox AFTER I’ve used my email address (as a username) after having logged out of a previously visited website? (And yes, I know I can just delete my history after leaving those logged in websites, but I shouldn’t have to... However, when/if I do log into a financial institution, I ALWAYS CLOSE that browser window after logging out.) OR, are they possibly getting my email address thru a Firefox extension, “Video DownloadHelper” (installed thru Firefox), where I CAN SEE my email address (and license#) listed in the extension’s settings for its Companion App? And, if it IS this extension, how can I get Mozilla to block that info from sites I visited??!!! (other than uninstalling the extension) Using Firefox, v129.0.2, 64-bit. and Windows 10 Pro, 22H2, build 19045.4780 (although Firefox shows: "Windows_NT 10.0 19045"). Also, auto-fill is unchecked in Firefox settings and I NEVER save usernames/passwords in of thru my browser.

All Replies (2)

Khalid
Khalid
  • Top 25 Contributor
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Hey Bumble Bee, If you are getting emails from these sites, either you provided it to them by accident, or another site sold it to them. If you are looking for a way to stop this, try Firefox Relay. When you use this tool, you give websites the Firefox Relay email, and if they start sending junk mail, you can just delete the alias.

Helpful?

BumbleBee
BumbleBee Question owner
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Thanks Khalid. I appreciate your response and the Firefox Relay suggestion!... but I do really know better than to give my email address out by accident (I am extremely cautious with personal information, although it has been leaked out from multiple websites!); and while it's extremely likely they could have my email from someone selling it to them, there no way they should know it was me visiting their site (I don't announce who I am) in order for them to send me an email immediately after leaving their website.

I'm 99.99% convinced they are getting my email, somehow, thru Firefox. It has happened too many times now to be a coincidence, but hasn't happened since Firefox upgraded to v129. But then again, since that upgrade I have also been clearing all my Firefox history/data very frequently; and now, ALWAYS clear it after logging out from a website where my email was the username... and before going to another website. Again, thanks!

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