A Digital Haven in an Impersonal World

In a digital landscape dominated by technology that treats you like a data point, CodaMail offers something increasingly rare: genuine human connection paired with uncompromising dedication. We're not just another faceless corporation – we're a family of privacy advocates who've been protecting people's digital communications since the dawn of the public Internet.

When you contact our helpdesk, you're speaking directly with our core team – including our founder, Stephen Gielda. There's no outsourced support center or AI chatbots handling your concerns – just real privacy experts who understand both the technical and human sides of digital security.

While other providers focus on SaaS and capturing enterprise clients, we've deliberately chosen a different path. We're dedicated to serving individuals, families, organizations, and small businesses who need personalized solutions with support from someone who can offer them personal service.

From Kitchen Table to Digital Guardian

In the early 1990s, while most people were just discovering email, Steve was already deeply embedded in the emerging cypherpunk movement. Late nights in his home office laid the groundwork for what would become one of the internet's longest-running privacy services—all while his day job at GTE Internetworking/BBNPlanet had him developing early networking and hosting solutions.

What began in Usenet newsgroups and IRC channels quickly evolved. By 1997, the Security Garage launched through TIAC's userspace, and by 1999, Steve had assembled a team of ten security and privacy-focused technologists (Dave, Durab, Fulcrum, Hawk, Gordon, Exavior, Nix, John, Alan, and Dan). Together, they established the Church of the Swimming Elephant (cotse.com), joining the ranks of other pioneering cypherpunk and security collectives of that era.

Cotse.com started modestly as a tech security site running on a single ISDN line. Fortuitous timing came when GTEI offered distributed services during their build-out, inviting Steve (who had since left the company) to use Cotse as a test case. This couldn't have come at a better moment—the original ISDN connection had become two and both were perpetually saturated as traffic grew exponentially. As consulting requests began to come in, Packetderm LLC was formed to handle penetration testing and security consulting while maintaining Cotse operations. What began with small businesses quickly expanded to Fortune 100 clients, with Packetderm continuing to serve select clients today.

Cotse.com's free privacy-focused webmail service grew even faster than anticipated, necessitating its own dedicated service. Around 2000, Cotse.Net was born under Packetderm LLC. Though we now call our latest evolution CodaMail, this is still Cotse at its core—with the Cotse.Net domain continuing to provide web hosting, proxies, and VPN services that complement our email platform.

• Early Cotse with our opening, unfortunately missing sound
• Cotse.Net offering unlimited aliases in Sept 2001
• We even made games

Those early days shaped our philosophy: privacy and security isn't just a feature – it's a fundamental right that requires constant vigilance and personal attention to maintain.

Perfect Size, Perfect Service

Unlike massive email providers with thousands of employees, our tight-knit team brings a personal touch to every aspect of our service. Think of us as your digital corner store – where you get personal attention.

We believe we're just the right size – large enough to maintain robust, reliable infrastructure, but small enough that we never lose sight of why we started this journey: to provide the most advanced privacy based mail system available combined with personal care.

We love what we do and large providers simply can not offer some of the features we offer due to the support needed, because if you give people enough power to shoot themselves in the foot, some will do just that. Don't worry, we're here to help quickly fix it for you if you do.

This personal approach means we can offer customized features that the giants simply can't. Need help with your personal domain email delivery? Having trouble with a particular sender getting caught in filters? Need someone to walk you through the intricacies of SPF, DMARC, and DKIM for your domain? We're here to help you personally, not direct you to an FAQ page.

New to it all? Don't know much about computers? That's OK, our service is very easy to simply use and we are here to help answer any questions you have. We will patiently guide and teach you. Are you an advanced user? If so, you will find this to be a service that can do anything you might want to do as you dig into it. Seriously, it's powerful. The only way you can get more control of your e-mail is running your own server.

We've weathered the storms of the Internet's evolution not through massive funding rounds or aggressive marketing, but by building lasting relationships with users who value both technical excellence and human connection.

Innovation Born from Experience, Not Buzzwords

Our 25+ years of experience means we've seen it all – from the early days of Usenet and BBSes to today's sophisticated surveillance challenges. This depth of experience can't be replicated by startups with flashy marketing but shallow roots.

Years before Gmail existed, we had already pioneered features that would later become industry standards:

• Unlimited email aliases
• User controlled filtering during the SMTP handshake
• Custom SMTP headers regardless of client
• Adaptive learning filters
• Integrated encryption

Our longevity isn't the result of massive marketing budgets or venture capital – it's because we've stayed true to our core mission: providing uncompromising privacy and cutting edge features with complete user control, and doing so with personal support.

A Familiar Face in a Changing World

In many ways, we're like that family-owned store that's been on Main Street for generations, surviving the influx of the big box stores – the one where the owner is a friend and knows exactly which aisle/menu has what you need. We may be in the digital realm, but we bring that same level of personal care and expertise to every interaction.

When you sign up for CodaMail, you're not just getting a privacy first advanced email account – you're joining a community of privacy-conscious individuals supported by a team that treats your security with the same care they'd give to their own family members (our family members use this service, too.).

The bigger providers can never match the personalized attention and unwavering commitment that comes from decades of hands-on experience and genuine passion for what we do.