Inbox full of promo emails? 80% are tracking you, new report warns

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• 50 major US retailers sent 42B marketing emails in 28 days.
• 80% used tracking pixels to monitor clicks, devices, and location.
• Proton Mail calls the tactics "an engineered assault on privacy."

A new Proton Mail report has found that retailers across the US are using every trick in the book to grab your attention over the holiday period -- and some of their practices are invading your privacy.

Proton Mail's Spam Watch

According to Proton Mail's new research, "Spam Watch: The US Inbox Overload + Hidden Tracker Report," 80% of US retailers now embed tracking technology in their marketing emails.

Using a controlled Proton Mail inbox, the team captured every email sent by the largest US retailers (with physical locations) from Nov. 4 to Dec. 1. Each marketing email was ...