Skiff, the popular encrypted email service provider, was acquired by the Evernote note-taking app maker Notion, and will become part of the company’s product portfolio.
Unfortunately, Notion has no interest in keeping the secure email service alive in its current form. Existing Skiff users may only continue to enjoy email services for roughly six more months, so they need to move quickly to find a new trustworthy provider to migrate their data to.
Skiff is a private end-to-end encrypted, decentralized workspace offering Mail, Calendar, Docs, and cloud storage services (Drive), used by approximately half a million people. Our in-depth Skiff Mail review of the product praised its encryption, anti-tracking, phishing protections, and interoperability, albeit it lacked extensive customization options. In January 2023, the Russian authorities blocked access to Skiff’s sites, citing that the service was used for spreading false information.
The acquisition by Notion was communicated with enthusiasm on Skiff’s social media channels, where the company failed to highlight the crucial fact that their service will be sunset in six months, and users should take action to ensure a smooth transition to a new platform.
Many criticized this approach for increasing the risk of current Skiff users remaining unaware of the looming shutdown, possibly leading to the loss of critical personal data without being given an opportunity to export it.
The only thing that implies the impending shutdown is linking to a data migration guide at the bottom of the acquisition announcement, taking users to a guide that provides more details about the wrap-up timelines and available data exporting methods.
“All Skiff services, including Mail, Pages, Calendar, and Drive, will be sunsetting August 9, 2024, as part of Skiff’s acquisition by Notion. Only automatic mail forwarding will continue to operate until February 9, 2025.
After that date, you will no longer have any access to your Skiff data, including email addresses, files, contacts, events, and all other data stored on Skiff products.
You can migrate your data at any time before the sunset date.”
Skiff
The guide contains instructions on exporting emails, contacts, calendar entries, and custom domains, and creating email forwarding rules to receive any incoming communication to the new address. Also, those who had purchased a subscription that expires after August 9, 2024, will be eligible for a refund calculated based on the remainder period.
Secure alternatives to Skiff Mail
Regarding the choices of good E2EE email services Skiff users have, there are quite a few competitive offerings in the market, including StartMail, Tuta (formerly Tutanota), Mailfence, Mailbox.org, Proton Mail, and Posteo. RestorePrivacy has a list of the best secure email services, where you can check the pros and cons for each and make an informed decision.
StartMail, in particular, has already put up a step-by-step data migration guide for Skiff users looking to jump ship, covering the required exporting, importing, and syncing steps in detail. For those interested in migrating to StartMail, you can also use this exclusive coupon for RestorePrivacy readers:
Here is our list of 10 alternatives options from the secure email guide:
- Proton Mail – Best for strong encryption (33% off coupon)
- StartMail – Private email hosted in The Netherlands (50% off coupon)
- Mailfence – A secure and customizable email service
- Tuta – Secure Email for any device
- Mailbox.org – Affordable private German email service
- Posteo – Reliable anonymous email service
- Runbox – Private email in Norway
- CounterMail – Swedish email with strong security features
- Kolab Now: Swiss email, compliant with GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI
- Soverin – Basic private email service
In general, when migrating from one secure email service to another, users should review the privacy policy of the new provider to understand how their data will be handled, stored, and shared with third parties. Also, enable two-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security upon setting up a new account.
Be vigilant about phishing attempts and scams during the transition period, as attackers might exploit this time to trick you into revealing sensitive information by signing up onto bogus platforms masqueraded as legitimate encrypted email services.