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History of Mailboxes Timeline
(Ancient civilizations–Present)The history of mailboxes traces how societies created secure, convenient places to collect and deliver letters, evolving from simple containers to standardized public, rural, apartment, and smart mailbox systems. More Less
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Origins and development
JPBerlin begins independent email service
1989
JPBerlin began offering independent, ad-free email accounts based in Germany, establishing the historical foundation from which mailbox.org later developed.
JPBerlin establishes German email hosting
1989
The JPBerlin service provided email hosting under German jurisdiction and became the predecessor associated with mailbox.org's later history.
Surveillance affair shapes mailbox.org plans
2013
The global surveillance and espionage affair created the broader context in which mailbox.org's founders sought stronger security, transparency, and freedom from advertising.
Mailbox.org is created
2014
Mailbox.org was created in 2014. Founder Peer Heinlein associated its creation with the goal of building an internationally scalable mail provider with high standards for security, transparency, and freedom from advertising.
Peer Heinlein outlines mailbox.org mission
2014
Founder Peer Heinlein described mailbox.org as a response to the surveillance environment and emphasized its intended combination of international scalability, security, transparency, and ad-free operation.
Mailbox.org becomes mailbox
Sep 2025
In September 2025, mailbox.org was renamed mailbox.
Mailbox presents digitally sovereign workplace
Sep 2025
Since September 2025, mailbox has positioned itself as a digitally sovereign workplace.
Mailbox integrates workplace communication tools
Sep 2025
The renamed mailbox service offers an integrated suite combining email, calendar, video conferencing, and cloud storage.
Privacy and security
JPBerlin operates independently and without advertising
1989
From its beginning, JPBerlin was characterized by independent operation and an ad-free approach to email accounts.
Mailbox.org launches privacy-focused email service
2014
The new mailbox.org service continued the German tradition of independent email hosting while presenting privacy and security as central parts of its offering.
Webmail PGP encryption is available
2014
Mailbox.org's webmail offering supports encrypting and decrypting emails with PGP without requiring special client software.
Webmail PGP works without Mailvelope
2014
Users can use PGP encryption and decryption through the webmail service without necessarily relying on a browser extension such as Mailvelope.
Mailbox.org offers a Tor exit node
2016
Since 2016, mailbox.org has offered a Tor exit node intended to help anonymize connection data.
Tor anonymization becomes part of mailbox.org service
2016
The addition of a Tor exit node expanded mailbox.org's privacy infrastructure beyond email hosting by supporting anonymized connections.
Mailbox.org adds webmail S/MIME support
Nov 2023
Since November 2023, mailbox.org webmail has also supported S/MIME encryption and decryption without special email-client software.
Mailbox.org expands browser-based encryption
Nov 2023
The addition of S/MIME complemented existing PGP functionality and enabled broader browser-based email encryption without requiring special client software or plugins.
Awards and reviews
Mailbox.org wins Stiftung Warentest test
Feb 2015
In February 2015, mailbox.org became a test winner alongside Posteo in an evaluation by Stiftung Warentest.
Mailbox.org wins another Stiftung Warentest test
Oct 2016
In October 2016, mailbox.org again became a test winner alongside Posteo in a Stiftung Warentest comparison.
Ctrl Blog emphasizes mailbox.org features
2018
Ctrl Blog's review drew attention to the breadth of mailbox.org's features, presenting the service as more than a basic email provider.
Ctrl Blog highlights mailbox.org privacy
2018
The same 2018 review specifically characterized mailbox.org as privacy-focused, reinforcing the service's public identity in the privacy email market.
Mailbox.org receives feature-rich privacy review
2018
A 2018 review by Ctrl Blog highlighted mailbox.org as a feature-rich email provider with a strong focus on privacy.
Mailbox.org wins Swiss cloud-service test
Jun 2021
In June 2021, mailbox.org became a test winner alongside the Swiss Linuxfabrik in the Cloud Service category evaluated by the Swiss consumer magazine K-Tipp.
Public-sector and regulatory milestones
Roskomnadzor requests a mailbox.org ban
Dec 2019
In December 2019, Russia's telecommunications supervisory authority, Roskomnadzor, requested that mailbox.org be blocked in Russia.
Mailbox.org faces Russian censorship dispute
Dec 2019
The Russian blocking request placed mailbox.org in a legal and regulatory dispute over access to its service in Russia.
Thuringian education ministry adopts mailbox.org email
2020
The Thuringian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport used mailbox.org to supply secure email addresses to teachers.
Mailbox.org provides Thüringen teacher accounts
2020
Mailbox.org began providing email addresses for teachers in Thuringia on behalf of the Thuringian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport.
Mailbox.org calls Russian action internet censorship
Jan 2020
Mailbox.org stated that it viewed the Russian authority's actions as an attempt at internet censorship.
Mailbox.org announces legal representation
Jan 2020
In January 2020, mailbox.org said it would be legally represented in the dispute concerning Roskomnadzor's requested ban.
Mailbox.org enters Russian directory data
Feb 2020
The withdrawal followed mailbox.org's agreement to have its publicly viewable web-imprint data entered into the Russian telecommunications directory.
Roskomnadzor withdraws blocking request
Feb 2020
In February 2020, Roskomnadzor withdrew its blocking request against mailbox.org.
Berlin orders secure teacher accounts
2021
Starting in 2021, the Berlin Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family arranged for mailbox.org to provide secure email accounts to teachers at public schools.
Mailbox.org equips Berlin public-school teachers
2021
Approximately 33,000 Berlin teachers at public schools were provided with mailbox.org email accounts.
Berlin considers replacing mailbox email
Dec 2022
In December 2022, Berlin schools were again reported by Der Tagesspiegel to be planned for conversion from mailbox email to Microsoft Exchange email.
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Key Facts
- Ancient civilizations used containers, couriers, and designated collection points to organize written messages, although modern mailboxes did not yet exist.
- Public letter boxes became increasingly common in Europe during the nineteenth century as postal services expanded and regular mail collection developed.
- The United States introduced standardized rural mailboxes in the early twentieth century to support Rural Free Delivery and bring mail directly to farm communities.
- Apartment mailboxes and centralized delivery units improved efficiency and security as cities grew and residential buildings became more densely populated.
- Modern mailboxes include locking compartments, parcel lockers, and smart features designed to protect letters and packages in the age of e-commerce.
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Source
This History of Mailboxes timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.
We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.
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