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

Choose controls according to recovery need, exposure, impact and effort. 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

A free download and a domain registrar ask for an address on the same afternoon. 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

The strongest theoretical setup fails if it is too complicated to use.

  • Name what matters
  • Estimate likely harm
  • Choose a proportionate route
  • Review when circumstances change

Give the next relationship its own route.

Create an MXDuck alias