The Helm personal email server is here to actually protect your data

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Have you grown tired of using free email services like Gmail that like to collect your data for marketing purposes? You may want to consider the all-new Helm personal email server. The pricey device allows you to control your entire email experience from the comfort of your home or office.

The 128GB Helm looks like a tiny A-frame house you might want for your pet guinea pig. Once you turn the device on, you’ll use an app to get through a short setup process. You can configure the server to work with a domain name of your choice.

At launch, there’s no separate Helm email app for mobile or web. Instead, you’re supposed to use email and calendar apps that support standard protocols. You’ll need to find a solution that works locally.

What Helm provides

Helm’s most important function is to protect your data from government surveillance and eliminate the threat of companies that mine data to sell to marketers. It does this by offering multiple levels of protection, including the encryption of your data, which is backed up offside.

No doubt, the biggest thing going against Helm is its price. At launch, the service is $499, which includes a year of service. Therefore, you’ll need to pay a $99-per-year subscription free.

Speaking to Fast Company, Giri Sreenivas, co-founder and CEO of Helm, says he believes these prices are sound for its target audience: engineers and security and gadget enthusiasts.

He explains:

We think people are understanding more and more that there is no such thing as ‘free,’ that ‘free’ email services rely on profiting off your personal data with third parties, with all the associated risks. As more and more data breaches occur, people will want their personal information closer to home, especially as the convenience of doing that increases.

I would agree. Many have grown increasingly tired of companies like Facebook and Google collecting our data in exchange for providing us with free services.  A product like Helm, though expensive upfront, could let us retake some control of our personal information.

We’ll continue to follow Helm and see what develops. Additionally, we hope to review Helm soon. We’ll let you know when that occurs. In the meantime, you can purchase Helm through its official website.

What do you think? Leave your comments below. 

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