
Show HN: Slimbox – a simple tool to declutter your inbox in seconds - makemills
http://slimboxapp.com
======
bradknowles
So, in the wake of Edison and all the other e-mail inbox apps that mine your
messages for information they can sell to anyone who wants to pay them, how do
you differentiate yourselves and ensure that your systems can’t be abused in
the same way?

~~~
makemills
Totally fair question - here's how Slimbox is different from other 3rd-party
email services:

TL;DR – [https://www.slimboxapp.com/privacy-
policy](https://www.slimboxapp.com/privacy-policy) (seriously, it's actually
an enjoyable read in plain English)

1\. Slimbox is verified to be in strict compliance with Google's User Data
Policy \- Edison and other apps are literally what caused Google to change
their Gmail user data policy. This means that the use of user data is limited
in ways that does not allow monetization. See the Limited Use section here to
get a sense of how strict everything is now:
[https://developers.google.com/terms/api-services-user-
data-p...](https://developers.google.com/terms/api-services-user-data-
policy#additional-requirements-for-specific-api-scopes)

2\. Slimbox is _NOT_ in the data business \- Our business model is a simple
subscription service ($1 per month). Slimbox does not monetize user data in
any way and does not allow ads of any kind. Even before Google's policy
revisions, we were focused on delivering a service that we would want to use:
one that doesn't operate on a surveillance capitalism business model.

3\. Slimbox requires the absolute minimal data to operate \- When you sign in
with Google, Slimbox gets your name and email address to send your daily
summary and log you in to the app (where you can manage your senders, set your
timezone, etc). The only other information stored in our database (encrypted)
is a list of clutter email senders - this is essentially a list of filters
that Slimbox has created for you in a single click. This information never
leaves the database, and is strictly limited in access.

4\. Slimbox does not have the capability to access the content of your email.
\- Slimbox never stores or takes possession of your emails on our servers to
operate. This keeps user cost as low as possible, ensures there is never a
data-leak from our side, and also means that if Slimbox is down for any
reason, you continue to have access to your email as you would normally.

Lastly, we are doing everything we can possible to put user trust first
because that's what we expect from _any_ service that requests access to our
inbox. We don't even use Google Analytics, and there are zero trackers on our
site. Even our Privacy Policy is written in plain English.

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leshokunin
Nice, I love the simplicity. When you say Google certified, did you guys go
through the whole $50k verification? Would love to hear how that went.

I’m working on an inbox service that makes it easy to have integrations (think
Slack superpowers). Would love to see how we could integrate Slimbox and offer
it to our users.

~~~
makemills
Thanks! We've really tried to keep Slimbox simple in every way. And yes, we
went through Google's verification process and it was pretty rigorous.

Because Slimbox is a relatively simple application, we came in under $50k, but
laying out 5-figures pre-revenue was a tough pill to swallow. It's certainly a
great test of how much you believe in what you're making – we were fortunate
to have strong validation from early testers.

The founder of a tool called GMass documented an experience of the
verification process that felt similar to ours that you might find useful:
[https://www.gmass.co/blog/live-updates-google-oauth-
verifica...](https://www.gmass.co/blog/live-updates-google-oauth-verification-
security/)

Feel free to reach out as you make progress on your inbox service.

~~~
leshokunin
Wonderful. Really appreciate the insight. What’s the best way to reach you?
The contact on Slimbox ok?

~~~
makemills
Yeah, that's great. Just mention HN and we can make the link.

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135792468
Really good idea. I’ll be trying slimbox for sure.

Love the simplicity and that you priced it reasonably as opposed to everyone
else who seemingly goes 5/m or 9/m .

~~~
makemills
Appreciate the comment – we're hopeful that others see the price point as fair
and also accessible.

