Brave Browser has introduced email aliases, a feature that lets users sign up for websites without revealing their personal email addresses. The capability, unveiled this week, aims to protect privacy by preventing websites and advertisers from using email addresses to track users across the web. Users who adopt the Chrome alternative can now generate temporary addresses that forward messages to their real inbox.
To activate the feature, users must first establish an account with Brave and supply their actual email address. After logging into the browser, a pop-up window appears when clicking an email field on any website, presenting the option to substitute an alias. If the pop-up doesn't show up, users can right-click the field to reach the same option. The alias gets filled into the website's form automatically, and any messages sent to that address are forwarded to the user's primary account. Brave currently provides five free email aliases per user, with additional aliases planned for Premium subscribers down the line.
According to Brave, the company built the feature to close a privacy gap, noting that websites rely on email addresses as personal identifiers for ad targeting. The company points out that advertising technology firms like Meta can connect the email provided to a retailer's site with the address on file for that person, enabling these platforms to monitor purchases and browsing behavior. Brave says it doesn't examine the contents of emails sent to an alias, processing them only for spam and virus detection. After forwarding each message, the company deletes it from its servers, and all data stored in Brave accounts is encrypted at rest.
The feature addresses a real vulnerability in how online commerce works. When users hand over their email to websites, they're not just getting newsletters—they're giving advertisers a key to link their activity across multiple platforms. Ad tech companies exploit this identifier to build profiles of what people buy, view, and click, turning a simple signup into a tracking mechanism. By routing messages through disposable addresses, Brave's system breaks that connection, and if a website suffers a data breach, hackers obtain only the throwaway alias rather than the user's primary address. The company cautions that some forwarded mail may initially land in spam folders because the feature is new, though this should improve as Brave establishes its reputation as a mail provider. Any notes saved alongside an alias remain stored locally on the device unless users enable syncing, in which case notes are encrypted end-to-end. The move positions Brave as a browser willing to tackle privacy problems that mainstream options haven't prioritized, offering users a practical tool to reclaim control over their digital footprint without abandoning the services they rely on daily.