A new open source application, Paperweight, aims to help users understand and reduce their digital footprint by scanning email inboxes. The application identifies accounts, newsletters, and personal data found within emails, allowing users to unsubscribe from mailing lists and review account access.
Paperweight addresses the problem of unruly inboxes and the accumulation of data across numerous online services. It scans emails locally on a user’s system – without sending data to a server – to provide an overview of subscriptions and accounts. The application lists services under a “Mailing lists” section, enabling bulk unsubscribing with a single click. Users can also view email history and recent dates for each service.
Beyond newsletters, Paperweight features an “Accounts” section that displays where a user’s email address is used for logins. This includes services utilizing “login with Google.” The application shows the type of data access granted to these services, such as financial, identity, or health information, and provides options to unsubscribe or delete associated emails. While automated unsubscribe requests aren’t always honored, Paperweight streamlines the process.
Paperweight also provides breach alerts under the same accounts inventory. The source code is available for verification, ensuring transparency regarding data handling. Unlike premium services like Incogni from Surfshark, which handle data deletion requests for a fee, Paperweight empowers users to manually contact websites for data removal.
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