How to get web based Email off the cloud?

[treegolfer78]

Need some insight on this folks. I want to keep private email truly private, and don't want the emails to go through google servers and/or be on the cloud. Is this possible? Is it more secure just to visit web based email via the internet on android smartphones, and login and view emails?

 

[mrmojoz]

If you need it that private then you shouldn't be using Gmail or any type of web based service.

 

[gadzooks]

If mail service supports POP/IMAP access, K-9 Mail (free in Market) is an option that doesn't require that mail be stored on google servers.

Edit to add: POPS/IMAPS (encrypted) are more secure & generally available as well.

To me, cloud internet so I may not understand what you're asking. I'm thinking you want to restrict where on the internet your data is stored.

 

[Demache]

You would have to host an email server at home if you wanted completely private email. Then the emails go directly to a computer you have at home with no middle man (ex: Google). But that depends on your ISP on whether or not the email port is open (many don't for spam reasons) and your level of technical expertise since you have to set up the server yourself.

 

[treegolfer78]

thank you for responses, yes email host offers IMAP. Being a first time android user, and learning how the whole email process works on android, was a little uncertain still if even exchange email was still going through google servers etc.. Are my email contacts the "contacts" that a lot of the android applications are wanting to have access to to install their apps? Or is it my phone contacts they are trying to tap into (ie. Pandora)?

 

[gadzooks]

Which contact information (e-mail, phone, address, IM, ...) an application uses depends on what the application does. Pandora has a share option & when you choose this, an e-mail is sent to the contact you select.

Speaking of contacts... if you have a google account configured on your device, device contacts may be syncing to that account. You can disable this in device Settings > Accounts & Sync. If syncing has already occurred, you can log on to google account (web interface) & delete contacts you don't want stored there.

 

[takeshi]

Need some insight on this folks. I want to keep private email truly private, and don't want the emails to go through google servers and/or be on the cloud.

If it's web-based it's in the cloud by definition. It might not be in Google's part of the cloud but "the cloud" isn't just Google even though it may seem that way if you're picking up the definition from context.

Unless you're encrypting at all points your email isn't as private as you might think it to be. If you don't want email going through Google's mail servers then just don't use gmail, as mentioned above.