FAQ

EMail Parrot™ - Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some commonly asked questions about EMail Parrot™. For details on our privacy practices, see our Privacy Policy.

What is EMail Parrot™?

EMail Parrot™ is an email system that acts like an email distributor, but protects the identities of the members. It receives emails and retransmits them to the members of the list.While doing this it anonymizes personal information (name, email address) from the message and replaces them with list specific pseudonyms and addresses. With Virtual Private Emails (VPE) this capability has been extended to provide the same protections even when emailing anyone on the internet.

What is the value of an Anonymizing Email System?

An anonymizing email system offers several advantages to its users. Here are some examples:

1. Enhanced privacy and confidentiality: Anonymizing Email Reflectors can protect the privacy and confidentiality of email conversations by hiding the email addresses of the participants. This can be particularly important for sensitive topics or confidential information.
2. Improved security: Anonymizing Email Reflectors can add an extra layer of security to email communications, as they can prevent spam, phishing, and other types of email fraud. This can help to protect individuals and organizations from cyber threats.
3. Simplified communication: Anonymizing Email Reflectors can simplify communication by enabling users to send a single email to a group of recipients without having to manually enter each email address. This can save time and reduce the risk of errors.
4. Customizable settings: Anonymizing Email Reflectors can offer customizable settings that allow users to control who can send and receive emails, who can access the email archive and how often emails are delivered. This can provide flexibility and control over email communication.
5. Cost-effective: Anonymizing Email Reflectors can be a cost-effective alternative to traditional email services, as they can be low cost. This can be particularly appealing to small businesses, non-profit organizations and community groups that have limited resources.

Overall, the marketable advantages of an anonymizing email reflector can make it an attractive option for individuals and organizations that value privacy, security, simplicity, control and cost-effectiveness in their email communication.

How does EMail Parrot™ protect users?

EMail Parrot™ prioritizes privacy and security through a combination of anonymization, filtering, and encryption options. Here’s how:

1. Membership Controls: Only members of the list can send emails to the list. If you are not a member, your email won’t go through.
2. Sender Anonymization: The sender’s email address is removed from the headers of the email itself. No members will see your email address. Only the list administrator will have your email address as they set up the list. NOTE: While email addresses are removed from the email headers, they are not removed from the body of the email—if you have your email address in the body of an email or in your signature, it will be seen by the recipients.
3. Malicious Attachment Removal: Potentially malicious attachments are removed from emails. Attachment types such as .EXE or .BAT files will be removed from emails.
4. Tracking Prevention: Tracking pixels and other external content used to track people on the internet are removed by default. This feature can be disabled if desired.
5. Size Quarantine: Emails larger than 1MB (default setting, configurable up to 10MB) are quarantined by the system. EMail Parrot™ is intended for communications and coordination of lists. Distribution of large content files to large lists of many people is generally considered impolite.
6. Addressing Rules: Emails won’t be accepted (configurable setting) if the EMail Parrot™ address is not in the TO: list of the email. No CC or BCC addressing of an EMail Parrot™ distribution list will be allowed. BCC and CC addressing is a common approach of phishers and spammers.
7. Built-in Protections: EMail Parrot™ is based on Amazon Web Services Simple Email Service, which provides built-in protections for SPAM, viruses, and untrustworthy senders.
8. Spoofing Detection: SPF/DKIM checks verify sender authenticity to prevent email spoofing and impersonation.
9. Virus Scanning: ClamAV performs comprehensive virus and malware scans on all emails, layered on top of AWS SES detections for multi-tiered protection.
10. Encryption Support: See the dedicated encryption section below for end-to-end protection options.

How will people know who sent an email if the sender’s header information is removed?

EMail Parrot™ adds a header to the body of distributed emails which identifies the sender—a pseudonym. This identifier is defined by the distribution list administrator. It can be any text string such as the person’s full name, first name plus initial, nickname, player’s jersey number, or any other text that will let the recipients know who the sender is.

How private is my email address with EMail Parrot™?

EMail Parrot™ and Weiner Advanced Development LLC are committed to personal privacy and will never sell or distribute anyone’s email address for any reason. The email addresses provided to EMail Parrot™ by list administrators are used solely for the purposes of distributing group emails to the intended list members. EMail Parrot™ will not contact list members for the purpose of solicitation but does reserve the right to contact list members for the purpose of resolving any email communication issues that arise. EMail Parrot™’s mission is to protect email addresses and reduce undesired email solicitations.

We collect minimal data: only admin-entered member email addresses (no profiles or other personal info). No data is shared with third parties except as required by valid US legal processes (e.g., court orders—we respond only to official requests and publish an annual transparency report). Metadata logs are deleted after 30 days. For full details, see our Privacy Policy.

Can EMail Parrot™ see the contents of my emails?

As an email transport service, EMail Parrot™ computer systems have access to the contents of emails in order to process the mail. If the email contents are not encrypted, then the EMail Parrot™ system and administrators can see the contents of the email. This is needed to add message headers indicating who sent an email as well as filter out dangerous attachment types. While the EMail Parrot™ systems are automated and gather no content information when operating, EMail Parrot™ administrators reserve the right to review email contents for the purposes of diagnosing any system or communications issues or as instructed by government warrant. No content moderation beyond attachment type is performed by EMail Parrot™, and content guidelines should be adopted by the list administrators and members. Enforcement is the responsibility of the list administrator(s). For these reasons, communications on EMail Parrot™ should be treated as private but discoverable. EMail Parrot™ reserves the right to discontinue any email list that is found to be breaching generally acceptable legal and ethical boundaries.

How does encryption work in EMail Parrot™?

Current Security (Available Now):

All EMail Parrot emails are protected by:

• TLS encryption in transit (between servers)
• Virus scanning (ClamAV + AWS SES)
• Spoofing detection (SPF/DKIM/DMARC)
• Malicious attachment removal
• Tracking pixel removal
• Dangerous link detection

Your emails are secure during transmission and protected from common threats.

Group End-to-End Encryption Solutions (Under Development):

What is Virtual Private Email (VPE)?

VPE (Virtual Private Email) allows you to email external contacts while keeping your personal email address hidden. Think of it like a VPN for email - you can communicate with the outside world, but your real identity stays protected.

With VPE enabled, you can:

• Email anyone outside your group using special + addressing
• Receive replies that route back through EMail Parrot
• Maintain professional appearance (emails come from your list/brand)
• Protect your personal email from being exposed

VPE is perfect for businesses (VA delegation, client emails), personal privacy (unlimited aliases), and families (coordinated external communication).

How do I address emails to my full list, sublists, or individuals?

Addressing is flexible—target the full list, sublists, individuals, or combinations in one email (use TO: field; CC/BCC optional but configurable to block).

• Full List: Email yourlist@emparrot.com (or yourlist@lists.yourdomain.com for customs)—reaches all members.
• Sublist: sublist.yourlist@emparrot.com (e.g., marketing.yourlist@emparrot.com for a marketing subgroup; configure in admin dashboard). “Admin” sublist is auto-created for admins.
• Individual (Direct): ~pseudonym.yourlist@emparrot.com (tilde ~ starts it; replace spaces with underscores, e.g., ~jane_doe.yourlist@emparrot.com for “Jane Doe”).
• Address Book: Send to addressbook.yourlist@emparrot.com—get a reply with all direct addresses (members only).
• External Addresses: If your list is “open w/ VPE” any email address can be reached - Use our address conversion tool

Tips: Mix addresses (e.g., full list + one direct). For full setup/examples, see User Guide. Custom domains work identically.

What’s the difference between closed groups and VPE?

Closed Groups: Members email each other anonymously. External addresses cannot email the list, and members cannot email externals. Perfect for internal teams, PTAs, neighborhoods.

Open Groups with VPE: All the benefits of closed groups PLUS the ability to email external contacts and receive emails from externals. Members’ personal emails stay protected both internally and externally.

Think of it like a network connection: Closed groups are like a private LAN (local only). Open groups with VPE are like having internet access (external reach) with a VPN enabled (protection maintained).

Can external people email my list?

For Closed Groups: No. External addresses cannot email the list at all. Only members can send and receive.

For Open Groups (VPE-enabled): Yes, but with restrictions:

• External addresses CAN email the list or sublist addresses directly (e.g., support@yourbusiness.com)
• External addresses CANNOT use member direct messaging (~) or VPE addressing (+)
• Only list members can use ~ and + addressing patterns
• All external emails still go through EMail Parrot’s security scanning

How does VPE compare to email groups or forwarding?

Simple Groups Forwarding:

• Just passes emails through
• No security scanning
• No reply protection
• No team collaboration

VPE:

• Full virus and malware scanning
• Spoofing detection
• Tracker removal
• Dangerous link detection
• Team can collaborate on responses
• Professional appearance maintained
• Can’t extract real email addresses
• Endless email aliases for individuals and groups

Can I use EMail Parrot for marketing emails?

No. EMail Parrot is designed for communication with willing parties who expect your emails, not for cold email marketing or bulk promotional campaigns.

Allowed:

• Customer support for existing clients
• VA communicating with your vendors
• Team collaboration with known contacts
• Follow-ups with prospects who requested information

Not Allowed:

• Cold outreach to purchased lists
• Unsolicited marketing campaigns
• Bulk promotional emails to strangers

High spam complaint rates result in immediate list cancellation without refund. This protects email reputation for all legitimate users.

How long are emails stored on EMail Parrot™ servers?

When operating normally, emails sent to EMail Parrot™ are processed once and sent to the distribution list. A copy of the received email is stored on the servers for 30 days in case of any delivery issues. This facilitates the diagnosis and repair of any issues in the system.

Optionally, a list administrator can select for received emails to be deleted upon successful processing and delivery through the system. Removing processed emails from our storage can give a heightened sense of privacy, but reprocessing of emails will not be possible. Quarantined emails will still be stored on the servers for 30 days or until a list administrator takes a quarantined email action.

If legally required, EMail Parrot™ will preserve any emails required by court order for longer than 30 days. Member lists are deleted immediately upon termination (residuals in logs age out after 30 days).

What information is needed to set up a distribution list?

1. The email addresses for all members.
2. Pseudonyms for each member.
3. The name of the email list (“list name”@emparrot.com) and the identifying text of the list (“My Distribution List”).
4. A valid credit card to be entered on the Stripe.com site when prompted. (Credit card entry can be delayed for the 30 day trial period.)
5. Which members of the distribution list are administrators (receives list use errors and moderated user approvals). The creating person is the group “owner” and a default list administrator.

Can I use my domain with EMail Parrot™?

Yes. EMail Parrot™ can be configured to operate lists at a subdomain of your domain. For example, if you own xyz.org and currently receive emails at this domain joe@xyz.org, EMail Parrot™ can be configured to operate under a subdomain (emp.xyz.org or lists.xyz.org). Then email distribution list(s) will be under this subdomain yourlist@lists.xyz.org. This ensures that currently existing email addresses at your domain remain valid while EMail Parrot™ distribution addresses can coexist at the subdomain.

This integration enhances the professional appearance of the organization’s emails, reinforcing brand identity and building trust with members. It allows organizations to maintain full control over their communication channels while using EMail Parrot™’s dynamic list communication features. Users will interact with your familiar, trusted domain, improving engagement and maintaining consistency with other communications.

An additional charge of $5/month will apply for the upkeep of the subdomain. This supports unlimited distribution lists under the subdomain at no extra per-list fee (beyond the base $5/month per list where applicable—custom domains make additional lists free). Usage limits (5K emails and 5GB of data) apply across all lists on the subdomain, with overage charges based on combined usage.

Configuring EMail Parrot™ to run under your domain requires a record be added to your DNS server for the subdomain. An IT support case can be launched to guide you through this process by emailing support@emparrot.com.

Any web requests made to this subdomain will automatically be redirected to the parent domain. https://lists.xyz.org will redirect to https://xyz.org. In this way, web requests made to EMail Parrot™ subdomain, for whatever reason, won’t lead to web errors.

Should I have multiple email lists or use sublists?

The primary factor when deciding if you should create multiple email lists or a single email list with multiple sublists is communication boundaries. Any member of an email list can communicate with all other members—either through a direct email message or emailing the entire list. If there are distinct memberships or topics or communication that shouldn’t intermingle, then multiple email lists are advised.

Some other factors to consider when making this decision:

There is no nesting of sublists (no sublists of sublists). There is more flexibility with multiple email lists.

Each email distribution list costs $5/month. Sublists are cheaper.

Multiple email lists have distinct uses and separate administrator rosters, email list configurations, and user configurations.

A single email distribution list creates greater reach for blast-o-gram emails.

How is EMail Parrot™ superior to BCC?

Using BCC to email a list is fine for 1-to-many communications when the original sender’s email address is suitable for wide visibility. The BCC recipients of the email can only reply to the original sender and not other recipients on the BCC list. BCC communication is prone to error—one email sent to the list on the To: or CC: line exposes everyone’s information.

EMail Parrot™ allows for list replies while also protecting list members.

How do I enable workers to a single address without sharing passwords?

With VPE, your representatives get shared email access under your brand without you sharing any credentials:

1. Create sublists for different functions (vendors, scheduling, customer-service)
2. Add your VA as a member of appropriate sublists
3. Enable VPE in group settings
4. Your reps emails externals using: +external=at=domain+sublist@yourdomain.com
5. External recipients see emails from your business, not anyone’s personal email
6. When engagement ends, remove worker in 30 seconds - access revoked instantly

No password sharing, no per-user fees, no security risks. Learn more at /vpe.html.

What size organizations can benefit from EMail Parrot™?

Any size list can use EMail Parrot™ and there are no restrictions in the tool. Usually small lists (5 to 10) who trust everyone and know that they won’t likely be hacked are satisfied with standard email. Very large lists with thousands of members will likely find that email is not a good medium as the traffic of emails from this number of members, frequently interacting, becomes too much. Lists that want to communicate by email but not give everyone their email information will benefit from EMail Parrot™. If list size isn’t your major concern, exposure of your private information should be.

If email is the medium of choice for your list and privacy and security are of concern, then EMail Parrot™ is the right tool for you.

What privacy rights do I have with EMail Parrot™?

As outlined in our Privacy Policy, you have rights under laws like CCPA and GDPR, including access, correction, deletion, and portability of your data (e.g., member lists). Requests are free and handled within 45 days—email support@emparrot.com. We comply with these laws and use data minimally, with no selling or third-party sharing.

Upcoming Features

We’re actively developing enhancements like hybrid encryption (E2EE bodies + gateway re-encryption for screening) to balance privacy and safety. Sign up for our newsletter or check back for updates—no specifics on timelines yet, but we’ll notify users via email.

In case you haven’t found the answer for your question, please feel free to contact us—our customer support will be happy to help you at support@emparrot.com.