Loading external images in emails

Many emails contain images that are not included in the message itself, but are loaded from the internet, for example, newsletter banners, logos, or tracking pixels.

Private.Ki blocks these external images by default to protect your privacy and security.

Why we block external images

Loading external images can reveal information to the sender or the image host. The image request can be used to confirm that you opened the email, and it can expose technical details that help track or profile you.

Blocking external images by default helps prevent:

  • Tracking pixels that report when and how often you open an email

  • Revealing your IP address and approximate location

  • Revealing device and client details that can be used for fingerprinting

  • Unwanted network requests to third-party servers

How to load external images

As mentioned before, we block the loading of external images by default.

When Private.Ki detects such blocked images, you will see a yellow banner at the top of the message:

To allow images, choose one of the options in the banner:

  • Load once loads the external images only for this viewing of the email. If you reopen the message later, images will be blocked again unless you choose a trust option.

  • Trust this email allows images for this specific email. The next time you open the same message, images can load automatically.

  • Trust sender allows external images to load automatically for future emails from the same sender.

  • Closing the banner (X) dismisses the notice, but keeps external images blocked.

How image loading protects your privacy

When you allow external images, Private.Ki loads them through an image proxy. This prevents the sender from receiving your direct network information.

With the proxy, the sender does not see your real IP address, which also helps protect your approximate location. It also reduces the amount of client-specific information that would normally be exposed during a direct image request.

Important: Even with a proxy, loading images can still signal that the email was opened around that time, because the images are requested when you choose to load them.