“The one thing I ask all my students to do is open a Tuta Mailbox”
Interview with Michel Monfis, on the release of his new book, 'Manuel de survie numérique', and why he asks his students to get a new mailbox with Tuta as a first step in his digital privacy course.
First he ditched Microsoft, then Google
In 2000, Monfis, like many, was a Microsoft user. As someone who was interested in open standards and with the realization of how Microsoft operated, he decided to make the switch to Linux and open source tools - both personally and for his business. “This was not about privacy at the time. It was about open source. And of course, because at the time there were no smartphones and no GAFAM (short for Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft).”
“Then about 10 years ago, I read an article about how Google knows everything you do.”
The real shock happened when Monfis, who didn’t use Google products a lot, decided to download his data from his Google account. To his surprise, the download was extremely slow because of the large amounts of data that Google had collected about him.
“Then I opened all the files. I saw everywhere that I went, everything I did. Every video I watched on the internet and every search I had made on Google. Everything was there. So I said no more Google!”
Monfis explained that these were the two main events that made him realize what is happening to our data when we use Big Tech tools and this made him actively seek out better alternatives that are open source.
Still using Google? Take a look at everything it knows about you!
Filling the gap - spreading privacy in France
Being based in France, and with an interest in digital privacy, security and online freedoms, Monfis realized that in France there were not many communities and resources available for people to find out about these important topics in their native language - but there was a demand for it.
When Monfis started his training course, he also realized that people were not up to scratch with the basics of privacy and security, and decided that a full on guided manual was needed, and so he wrote one! “In France, many people don’t know the basics and they ask very basic questions and so my manual must be a place for people to have all the answers. It’s why I wrote the book and I hope it will work.”
Monfis recommends opening a Tuta Mail account first
For Monfis, improving your privacy and security begins with a secure mailbox, which is why he recommends signing up for a free Tuta Mail account as a first step in his digital course:
“As a start in my digital course, the first thing I ask my students to do is to create a new mailbox. Today, a private mailbox is the first thing you need to have if you want to respect privacy, liberty, security.”
He then asks them to upgrade to a paid plan and use their own custom domain:
“I’ve been using Tuta for some years now. So, I first ask them to create a free account and then to upgrade to a paid plan like Revolutionary, and buy a domain name so that they can use their custom domain address in Tuta.”
Monfis first joined Tuta eight years ago when it was still called Tutanota. At the time he was using Thunderbird and had a provider for business email. Since Tuta didn’t offer a Tuta Mail add-on in Thunderbird (which we do now!) he didn’t fully commit. Then a few years ago he decided to give it another try and was impressed by how far it had come in terms of new features and development.
“I saw Tutanota changed to Tuta and these past years you have worked so much on Tuta and everything you do. I love it and I think it’s a very good product. Today I really feel the need for very good tools like Tuta. I use it and recommend it to all my students. And I specifically choose Tuta for many reasons!”
Why Tuta
There are a few main reasons why Monfis uses and recommends Tuta.
For Monfis, the main reason is end-to-end encryption
“End-to-end encryption is a basic. I don’t use programs that do not use end-to-end encryption when I can.”
Post-quantum encryption
He also mentions the fact that Tuta is already using post-quantum encryption.
“There is Tuta’s post-quantum encryption. This is very important for me. And I think nowadays all the Big Tech are switching to post-quantum encryption. We don’t know if one day we’ll have quantum computers, but this is very good. And Tuta is already right on that.”
Encrypted subject lines and minimal metadata
For Monfis, another reason he chose Tuta is it’s commitment to minimal data collection and trying to encrypt the most data possible - like subject lines. He acknowledges that not everything can be encrypted, because when you send emails, we still have to see the recipients’ email address, but within the limits Tuta does encrypt as much data as possible:
“Another point is that you try keep the metadata collection minimal and the subject line of the email is encrypted too. I know that you make the maximum effort to minimize the metadata, and you try to encrypt to the maximum. I love this about Tuta because you really try to do that.”
One thing, done well
“What I also love about Tuta, and it’s a reason I recommend it to my students, is that Tuta does one thing and it does it very well.”
His Tuta setup
Monfis uses Tuta Mail set up with his own custom domain and alias addresses. His primary use is Tuta Mail without the Tuta Calendar, simply because he still prefers an old-school paper calendar. Although he doesn’t actively use the Tuta Calendar, he shares how he was pleasantly surprised when his sports coach emailed him a link to his training schedule which automatically synced into Tuta Calendar. “There is a link he sent me and it automatically synchronizes to Tuta Calendar. So when I open Tuta, I can see my whole sports schedule with my training details for each day. So this is fantastic.”
It was a pleasure to meet Monfis, and to hear about his privacy journey, why he started his course and then decided to write his book. For us at Tuta, it’s amazing to hear real stories of people sharing knowledge and educating others about privacy and security. We appreciate individuals like Michel Monfis, and believe that through efforts like his we can help people take back their privacy!
