CodaMail

A Digital Haven in an Impersonal World

In a digital landscape dominated by technology that treats you like a data point, CodaMail offers something increasingly rare: genuine human connection paired with uncompromising dedication. We're not just another faceless corporation – we're a family of privacy advocates who've been protecting people's digital communications since the dawn of the public internet.

When you contact our helpdesk, you're speaking directly with our core team – including our founder, Stephen Gielda. There's no outsourced support center or AI chatbots handling your concerns – just real privacy experts who understand both the technical and human sides of digital security.

While other providers focus on SaaS and capturing enterprise clients, we've deliberately chosen a different path. We're dedicated to serving individuals, families, organizations, and small businesses who need personalized solutions with support from someone who can offer them personal service.

From Kitchen Table to Digital Guardian

Our story begins in the early 1990s, when most people were just discovering what email was. While companies were still thinking the Internet was just for geeks, Steve was hunched over a computer in his home office, participating in the nascent cypherpunk movement and laying the groundwork for what would become one of the internet's longest-running privacy services.

What started in Usenet newsgroups around 1995, became the Security Garage through TIAC's userspace in 1997, and quickly blossomed into something special. By 1999, Steve had been joined by ten others (Dave, Durab, Fulcrum, Hawk, Gordon, Exavior, Nix, John, Alan, and Dan) and together we established our own domain as the Church of the Swimming Elephant (cotse.com) and joined the ranks of other pioneering cypherpunk and security groups of that era.

Those early days shaped our philosophy: privacy isn't just a feature – it's a fundamental right that requires constant vigilance and personal attention to maintain.

Perfect Size, Perfect Service

Unlike massive email providers with thousands of employees, our tight-knit team brings a personal touch to every aspect of our service. Think of us as your digital corner store – where you get personal attention.

We believe we're just the right size – large enough to maintain robust, reliable infrastructure, but small enough that we never lose sight of why we started this journey: to provide the most advanced privacy based mail system available combined with personal care.

We love what we do and large providers simply can not offer some of the features we offer due to the support needed, because if you give people enough power to shoot themselves in the foot, some will do just that. Don't worry, we're here to help quickly fix it for you if you do.

This personal approach means we can offer customized features that the giants simply can't. Need help with your personal domain email delivery? Having trouble with a particular sender getting caught in filters? Need someone to walk you through the intricacies of SPF, DMARC, and DKIM for your domain? We're here to help you personally, not direct you to an FAQ page.

New to it all? Don't know much about computers? That's OK, our service is very easy to simply use and we are here to help answer any questions you have. We will patiently guide and teach you. Are you an advanced user? If so, you will find this to be a service that can do anything you might want to do as you dig into it. Seriously, it's powerful. The only way you can get more control of your e-mail is running your own server.

We've weathered the storms of the internet's evolution not through massive funding rounds or aggressive marketing, but by building lasting relationships with users who value both technical excellence and human connection.

Innovation Born from Experience, Not Buzzwords

Our 25+ years of experience means we've seen it all – from the early days of Usenet and BBSes to today's sophisticated surveillance challenges. This depth of experience can't be replicated by startups with flashy marketing but shallow roots.

Years before Gmail existed, we had already pioneered features that would later become industry standards:

  • Unlimited email aliases
  • User controlled filtering during the SMTP handshake
  • Custom SMTP headers regardless of client
  • Adaptive learning filters
  • Integrated encryption

Our longevity isn't the result of massive marketing budgets or venture capital – it's because we've stayed true to our core mission: providing uncompromising privacy with complete user control.

A Familiar Face in a Changing World

In many ways, we're like that family-owned store that's been on Main Street for generations, surviving the influx of the big box stores – the one where the owner is a friend and knows exactly which aisle/menu has what you need. We may be in the digital realm, but we bring that same level of personal care and expertise to every interaction.

When you sign up for CodaMail, you're not just getting a privacy first advanced email account – you're joining a community of privacy-conscious individuals supported by a team that treats your security with the same care they'd give to their own family members (our family members use this service, too).

The bigger providers can never match the personalized attention and unwavering commitment that comes from decades of hands-on experience and genuine passion for what we do.