This company has fewer services, but also collects information about users.
For instance, when filling out a profile, you are prompted to state where you live, and to add a photo and phone number. This information is clearly not required for a mail account. If you have no particular reason to share it, then don’t; if you already did, go to your profile and delete it and other superfluous information.
All the same, a Mail.ru account can be very useful. For example, the company offers an interesting tool — Anonymizer. Enable it to get a second email address. It can be used, for example, for creating accounts with online stores so that your main mailbox does not get littered with advertising spam.
For you it looks like a separate folder added to your mailbox for emails from sources where you gave your anonymous address, so your main Inbox does not get clogged up.
As with VKontakte, Facebook, Gmail, and other services, you can use your Mail.ru account to log into third-party sites (for example, online stores) and applications without the need to create a separate account there. It’s convenient and reasonably secure. The fact is that Mail.ru uses OAuth technology, which means that third-party sites do not get hold of your password, and their access rights to your account details are limited. At first login, you will see a list of permissions that you need to confirm.
However, even limited access is too much for services that you never use. Therefore, in the settings of your Mail.ru account (in the Security section), you should regularly review the list of third party websites and applications, where you’re logged in, and delete any unnecessary ones.
And always remember the basic security rules: A strong password and two-factor authentication are just as important on Mail.ru as on any other social network or mail service.
So, now we’ve set up an account on Mail.ru too. It goes without saying that it’s not possible to cover all services and accounts in one course. But we hope that you now have a firm grasp of the general principles, allowing you to apply them when creating other accounts and strike your own optimal balance between convenience and privacy.
What’s the name of the Mail.ru feature that comes in handy when creating accounts for online stores and other services that like to send spam — the feature that lets you set up an additional address so that spam messages arrive in a separate folder, not your Inbox?