Email privacy and protection, IMAP versus local folders
My provider uses IMAP, not POP3. I am transitioning to a new computer. My entire work and personal emails over the last 10 years are on this computer. A loss of emails would be really, really bad for my work. I use my Thunderbird account on two devices: a main laptop and a small travel laptop. It's nice to have them synched, but not essential due to limited use of my travel laptop.
Currently all of my old emails are in IMAP folders on the new computer. My questions:
(1) Which is better protected from loss of emails, IMAP folders or local folders? On the one hand, I occasionally destroy a computer by doing something dumb like spilling water on it. But does it ever happen that a provider permanently loses emails, like a major server crash?
(2) To what extent is loss of privacy an issue with IMAP storage folders? Is there any history of privacy incidents with IMAP folders?
(3) If I move emails from IMAP to local folders and then delete the IMAP folders, will my emails be permanently saved in the local folders? I did an experiment and the answer seems to be yes.
(4) Considering the above questions, is it best to store emails in IMAP or local folders? Is there any significant difference?
All Replies (3)
Follow-up: Actually, it would be desirable to have emails in both IMAP folders for synchronization and local folders for times when I don't have internet access. Is this possible with Thunderbird? Would I need to recreate each of the IMAP folders individually in the local folders? (That would be an awful lot of folders.)
(1) Which is better protected from loss of emails, IMAP folders or local folders?
You're asking the wrong question. If you're concerned about data loss, the only answer is to have a recent backup of your Thunderbird profile. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-where-thunderbird-stores-user-data#w_backing-up-a-profile
In order to backup messages on an IMAP server, you'd first need to download an offline copy of all your messages to your local disk. In Thunderbird speak this is called 'synchronization'. https://support.mozilla.org/kb/imap-synchronization
(2) To what extent is loss of privacy an issue with IMAP storage folders?
If you're concerned about privacy, encrypt your messages. There's no way around that.
(3) If I move emails from IMAP to local folders and then delete the IMAP folders, will my emails be permanently saved in the local folders?
Messages moved from the IMAP server to your Local Folders account will be preserved. Remember to backup the profile though.
(4) Considering the above questions, is it best to store emails in IMAP or local folders? Is there any significant difference?
The obvious difference is where the messages are stored. The question should be, what are you trying to achieve in the first place?
it would be desirable to have emails in both IMAP folders for synchronization and local folders for times when I don't have internet access.
See (1) 'IMAP synchronization' above.
An gyara daga christ1
"What are you trying to achieve in the first place?"
Ideally:
(1) Protection from loss of emails by the server and by user error (2) Protection from invasion of privacy on the server (3) Access to current emails on two devices (4) Emails automatically saved to IMAP and local folders (5) A simple solution for a nontechnical person
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