# Switch to Protonmail Reason #17: Keep a public contact address separate from private account recovery

A public address is easy for attackers to scrape and target with password-reset messages.

2026-09-06
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Switchboard Tech Services


![Switch to Protonmail Reason #17: Keep a public contact address separate from private account recovery](https://switchboardtechservices.com/static/images/defaults/guides.webp)

## Why this matters

A public address is easy for attackers to scrape and target with password-reset messages. Privacy is easier to defend before this information is collected than after it has spread.

## The protection

Separate addresses or aliases let you reserve a less-public identity for recovery and sensitive services.

## Take action

Audit which accounts use your public address and move recovery settings where practical. Protect the recovery address with strong authentication. Email protection depends on the route and settings. Ordinary mail involving outside providers is not automatically end-to-end encrypted, and email metadata is not universally hidden.

## Sources

[Proton hide-my-email aliases](https://proton.me/support/aliases-mail), [Proton Mail security checklist](https://proton.me/support/new-account-owner-security-checklist).

- Categories:
  [Proton Mail](https://switchboardtechservices.com/guides/categories/proton-mail/)
- Tags:
  [#Digital Self-Defense](https://switchboardtechservices.com/guides/tags/digital-self-defense/), [#Proton Mail](https://switchboardtechservices.com/guides/tags/proton-mail/), [#Email Privacy](https://switchboardtechservices.com/guides/tags/email-privacy/), [#Account Security](https://switchboardtechservices.com/guides/tags/account-security/)

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Canonical URL: https://switchboardtechservices.com/guides/switch-to-protonmail-reason-17/

Language: en-us

Content type: guide

Author: Switchboard Tech Services

Published: 2026-09-06T23:04:47+00:00

Description: Why keep a public contact address separate from private account recovery matters for privacy and security.