monocles mail#

A privacy focussed eMail Services

Features#

Easy to Use Webmail Interface#

You can just login on mail.monocles.eu and sent an eMail - no need to install or setup anything!

Full Access with any standard Client of your choice for eMail#
IMAP & SMTP#

Standard-compliant protocols for your eMail communications,

  • You can sent and recieve them from any client or device of your choice.
CalDAV & CardDAV#

Allows you to sync calendar entries and contacts with our server.

  • Making it easy to keep multiple devices updated with changes.
Ample of Space#

monocles mail comes with 2 GB of Storage for your eMails!

Client Setup#

monocles mail#

Monocles mail is our free & open-source eMail client for smartphones and Tablets running Android.

  • It integrates PGP/MIME encryption into it's user interface and allows for self-custody of keys.

  • A sleek and easy to use interface optimized for mobile devices and touchscreen tablets.

...

Mozilla Thunderbird#

Thunderbird is a popular, free & open-source eMail client for Desktop PCs and Laptops running Linux, macOS and even Windows.

It includes the following features:

  • eMail via IMAP4 / POP3 & SMTP

  • Support for End-to-End Encryption using S/MIME and PGP/MIME.

  • This includes Key Generation and Management for PGP/MIME within Thunderbird, so it doesn't need external Applications and APIs to do so.

  • Contact and Calendar Sync using CardDAV & CalDAV respectably.

  • Open Thunderbird

  • If you have no eMail account setup yet, it'll automatically open up the wizard to "Setup an existing E-Mail Account"

  • If you already have at least one eMail adress Setup, you want to click on the menu icon at the top right corner, and Click "Account" -> "Existing eMail Account"

  • Fill out Name, eMail Adress and Password

  • We recommend to enshure the box "Save Password" is ticked, otherwise you'd have to enter the password manually every time you want to recieve or sent eMails!

  • Enshure the correct settings are selected by clicking "Manual Setup"

  • For Recieval, it should say the following:

Protocol:   IMAP
Hostname:   imap.monocles.eu
Port:       993
Security:   SSL/TLS
Auth.:      Password, normal
Username:   [your monocles eMail address]
  • For Sending, it should say the following:
Protocol:   SMTP
Hostname:   smtp.monocles.eu
Port:       465
Security:   SSL/TLS
Auth.:      Password, normal
Username:   [your monocles eMail address]

[your monocles eMail Adress] should be your adress as per your account without the brackets, like x.sample@monocles.eu.

  1. Click on "Test" and "Done" and Thunderbird should reply with "Account successfully added".

  2. You can then choose to continue setting up your account as you desire or click on "Finish".

  3. Thunderbird will now connect to your account and automatically synchronize it's contents.

  4. Depending on how many eMails you already have - if any - and the speed of your Internet Connection this may take some time.

Other Clients#

For all clients, the same settings apply:

Parameter IMAP SMTP
Server imap.monocles.eu smtp.monocles.eu
Port 993 465
Encryption SSL/TLS SSL/TLS
Authentification password (plain) password (plain)
Username [your monocles email Address] [your monocles email Address]

Please look up the documentation for your client in question on how to setup an account.

  • Some may not seperate Protocol, Server and Port and may require specific syntax in their configuration like imap://imap.monocles.eu:993 and smtp://smtp.monocles.eu:465 respectably.

Use with Tor#

You can access monocles mail via Tor Browser by opening up mail.monocles.eu in it.

  • You can also use any eMail client capable of using Tor directly or indirectly (i.e. via Orbot) as well.
We recommend using Tails for those that want to use our Services via Tor on a PC or Laptop since it's optimized and designed with that in mind and includes not just Tor and Thunderbird but also TorBirdy and can save your settings in it's encrypted persistent storage.#

Limitations and Known Issues#

Insecure eMail Clients#
Outlook is sending Account logins to Microsoft!#

This also includes emails and attachments!!

We cannot fix this issue and thus severely discourage using Outlook...#

We've decided against blocking Outlook as doing so would not only require us to scan eMails for metadata - which we categorically won't do - and which is also very error-prone.

  • Furthermore there are good reasons why users may want to fake using Outlook to circumvent restrictions elsewhere.
Security of Keys#
Whilst we do offer a convenient Webinterface to encrypt/decrypt eMails in a PGP/MIME compliant format, we do store those keys on our servers.#
Your keys can thus be subject to warrants and seizure in accordiance with the laws we've to abide to in Germany.#
  • just like ProtonMail, Tutanota or any other Provider that offers that offers this functionality does and has to based off their juristiction.

If sensitivity of these is of importance to you for whatever reason, you can and and should exercise self-custody of keys on your own devices and only share your public key with us - if at all.

Spam and Mass Mailing#
Spamming and/or Mass Mailing is not allowed - period !#

Customers are urged to choose not only secure passwords and use password managers but also keep their login safe and secure.

  • To enshure the stability, useability and security, monocles may terminate accounts with suspiciously large mail traffic or pattern that are consistent with Spambots, Malware or other abuse of monocles mail and restrict, limit or cancel accounts for violating our terms of service.

This is done to enshure the availability and reliability of monocles mail for other customers as well!

  • If you need a large throughput of eMails, please contact monocles Sales and request a quote for a dedicaded mailserver with dedicaded IPs and domain.
Stating the Obvious#
Using monocles' Services like monocles mail for anything illegal is a violation of the monocles Terms of Service and will result in immediate account Termination WITHOUT REFUND!#

There are no providers that won't comply with any reasonable and duely submitted warrant!