Five myths about plus-addressing

The five myths

• It makes you anonymous
• It stops every phishing message
• It removes the need for strong authentication
• Every address should be temporary
• More addresses always mean more confusion

What is actually true

Use plus tags for convenient sorting and real aliases for stronger separation. That can reduce correlation, improve context and make one exposed relationship easier to replace. It is a control surface, not an invisibility cloak.

Why the distinction matters

Name+shop@example.com makes filtering easy but plainly reveals name@example.com. The address can tell you which relationship is involved, but it cannot certify the sender or erase information shared elsewhere.

Good tools solve a named problem. Myths ask them to solve every problem.

Use the modest superpower

Support varies across forms and mail systems.

• Test provider support
• Use tags for sorting
• Use aliases for privacy
• Avoid tags for critical recovery