computer science

Mailfence

Mailfence is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Mailfence rather than just read about it. In short: Mailfence is a Belgian encrypted email service with a focus on security and privacy that offers OpenPGP based end-to-end encryption and digital signatures for usage in emails. It was launched in November 2013 by ContactOffice Group, which has been operating an online collaboration suite since 1999.

Key takeaways

Mailfence belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Mailfence to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Mailfence from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Mailfence is a Belgian encrypted email service with a focus on security and privacy that offers OpenPGP based end-to-end encryption and digital signatures for usage in emails. It was launched in November 2013 by ContactOffice Group, which has been operating an online collaboration suite since 1999.

History

Development The Mailfence project began development in 2013 by the founders of ContactOffice. In March 2016, a beta version of end-to-end encryption and digital signatures for emails was released.

Mobile interface In January 2021, Mailfence released a progressive web application for mobile devices.

Block in Russia On 5 March 2020, Mailfence reported that their SMTP servers were being blocked by Russian-based email services. This had followed their refusal to respond to a request by the Roskomnadzor to collaborate with and provide information to the Russian government. Mailfence claimed that agreeing to the request would violate both its own privacy policy and Belgian law.

See also Comparison of mail servers Comparison of webmail providers

References

External links Official website

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mailfence

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mailfence claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Mailfence before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Mailfence ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Mailfence

In research: Mailfence appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Mailfence in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Mailfence is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cross-platform software, Cryptographic software, Internet privacy software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Mailfence outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Mailfence in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Mailfence means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Mailfence out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mailfence in simple terms?

Why does Mailfence matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Mailfence?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Mailfence.