Then you came to the right place. In this article I’m going to show you how to create filters in Gmail, how to whitelist senders you need, and how to delete your data from services and subscriptions you don’t need. So let’s get straight to it.
Creating filters in Gmail
Fortunately, Gmail’s filters can be used for a lot of stuff that can make your life easier: from blocking senders, to deleting certain emails, to archiving and adding labels.
The good thing is that all of these start the same way: by tapping on the filter icon, and adding an email or domain to the search bar in Gmail’s web app.
Next step depends on what you want to do:
- Archive an email -> “Skip the inbox”
- Change the label -> “Apply the label:”
- Delete an email -> “Delete it”
Whitelist
This is my favourite part, and the base of my startup, Sentrya. Creating a whitelist in Gmail can do amazing things for your inbox: it clears the clutter left by spam and useless junk, and ensures you don’t miss an important email.
Here’s how to create a complete and comprehensive whitelist:
- Make a list of services and subscriptions you still need, and are important to you (important in the next step)
- Click on the filter icon in Gmail’s web app, and add the list you made in the “Doesn’t have” field using this format: {(from:sender1 OR from:sender2 OR from:sender3)}
- Next, select the “Delete it” option. This way, all emails not included in your whitelist will be sent to trash, and permanently deleted in 30 days
This can take a while to complete and keep it up to date, but if you don’t need emails from a lot of senders, it’s a great way to start.
Alternatively, you can try out Sentrya, as it’s a lot easier to find and select the services you need, the whitelist can take up to 250 senders, and it’s also free to use.
Delete your subscriptions and old accounts
This is a great way to improve your privacy, protect your personal information, and it also leads to less clutter in your inbox. Win win!
But where do you start?
Personally, I just sit and wait for a notification or an email from a service I don’t need, or just scroll through my inbox until I find something I don’t need.
Once you choose the service, it’s time to check out their website, and look for their Privacy Policy. In this section, you need to search for a contact email for that company’s DPO (Data Protection Officer - person of contact for such requests). Some companies don’t have a contact email, but since they’re legally obligated to provide a way to contact them, they might have a form you can fill out.
Now the fun part - sending the deletion request.
Having worked in the Data Protection industry, I learned a thing or two to successfully complete a data or deletion request, and I created my own template (which I also use in Sentrya):
'Dear Data Protection Officer,
I am writing to you to request the deletion of my personal information from your database, under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
I include the information below in order to confirm my identity:
Full name:
Email:
Please confirm once all my information has been removed from your systems.
If you are not the person responsible for handling these requests, please pass this email to your relevant department.'
These are great ways to clean out your inbox and protect your personal information, and you will see how well it works by next week.
If you need any help with any of the functions mentioned above, feel free to get in touch, and I’ll be happy to support.
Until next time.
