If you’ve never used a temporary email address you might be surprised to learn how they are used by people in all sorts of online situations.

A disposable email address (DEA) is a pain to marketers and often an indication of fraudulent activity online. Alternatively, a DEA is just a way for a consumer to fight back against spam and bad opt-in protocols, or a good tool for developers to test software. You decide.

Throwaway email addresses are on the up. We know, because we keep a list of them and it is growing.

Temporary emails are seen by us as bad. Risky. Uncertain. A glitch in an email list that could lead to undeliverable emails and bounces. It’s like a scene from the X Files. We know they’re out there. That doesn’t mean we have to like them.