Nearly Half of Americans Fear for Their Email Security

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 6, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A shocking number of Americans (77%) do not fully trust that their email provider is keeping personal information safe or protecting against hackers and spam, according to research from mail.com, a leading email provider. The vulnerabilities of the internet are affecting the way consumers perceive companies that require personal data, like email providers. The research of 1,340 US adults shows that most email providers are not doing enough to meet the user's demand of keeping information safe and secure. Luckily, mail.com's impressive security measures and protection of personal data make the email portal an ideal communication solution for those concerned about their personal safety via email.

As an industry leader in providing a free and professional email for international users, mail.com found that strong anti-spam features are becoming a deciding factor for users when selecting where to register.  Research showed four out of five respondents want an email provider that protects their accounts from viruses and hackers as 20% have experienced these circumstances first hand. While many viruses come from easily identifiable spam, some are carefully imbedded within genuine emails.  

mail.com successfully answers this concern with its antivirus scan engine. The antivirus scan engine filters through all emails and file attachments to not only detect malware, but remove all viruses, spyware and Trojans. Such viruses can reach personal information held on computers like confidential passwords and banking information. The protection offered by mail.com assists in the prevention of serious threats such as identify theft and credit card tampering. The scan ensures that the dangerous viruses do not reach their intended destination causing damage to computers, mobile devices and/or personal security.

Though it is the most popular apprehension, viruses and hackers are not the only email worry respondents have. Research showed that over 39% of respondents admitted that spam greatly affects their daily routine of communication by causing slow loading times and interference of receiving important emails among piles of junk mail. These disruptions can cause loss of business and interrupts essential communication between company contacts and personal matters, for example.

Additionally, one-third of respondents suspected their personal information was sold to third party vendors for marketing and sales purposes. This selling of information has shown to lead to an increase in spam, continuing the problem of disorder and lack of security for inboxes. These results reflect a strong push from Americans urging companies to make security a main concern.

As the driving force behind the product, mail.com is committed to making users feel safe and secure with the implementation of a variety of security features. The provider's spam filter has proven to prevent more than 90% of junk mail from entering inboxes so users can easily manage their emails, and only their emails. Employing seven sophisticated anti-spam tools to filter junk mail as well as providing the option to blacklist and whitelist senders individually, mail.com helps keep inboxes organized and spam free.

mail.com's extensive email domain collection provides new users with 200 options for their email address, covering a broad variety of topics including geographic location, personality traits, industries, interests, and hobbies, among several others With the ability to feed emails from multiple accounts into one inbox, read breaking news, mobile access, search the Web, and communicate effortlessly, mail.com has proven to be an ideal tool for both professional and personal purposes.

For more information, visit www.mail.com.

About mail.com:

mail.com is a specialized freemail and premium email provider owned and operated by 1 &1 Mail & Media, Inc. With its reliable and powerful webmail system, mail.com provides an all in one email platform with valuable features suitable for both private and professional users. The comfortable e-mail solution rivals those of traditional client-based software programs. 1 &1 Mail & Media operates several international webmail portals totaling more than 30 million active users with brands such as mail.com and GMX. Striving for optimum performance, the company's state-of-the-art data center in Lenexa, Kansas provides secure email communication and customer privacy.