Frequently Asked Questions

About SecureMail
Sending and receiving SecureMail
Installing and Installation Requirements
Using Secure Folder
Payments and Billing
Sign Up and Ordering
Purchasing SecureMail
About SecureMail What is Tiscali SecureMail? It's a value added service that gives you the ability to send email with the confidence that the email is securely encrypted and that only the person that you addressed the email to can unlock it. Tiscali SecureMail gives you the confidence that only you and your intended recipients are able to read your email, and that the recipient knows that the sender is not pretending to be someone else. A secure message is one that is encrypted, digitally signed, and unalterable. Encrypted: Your email message and any attachments are garbled and locked up, such that only your intended recipient can unlock and read them.
Signed: When you enter your Tiscali SecureMail Password, your message is digitally signed to assure the recipient that only you could have sent it.
Unalterable: The contents of your message cannot be altered, so the recipient can be sure that the message they receive from you is genuine. How much does Tiscali SecureMail cost? £3.50/month per email address. Can I use my existing email address? Yes, you can sign up for Tiscali SecureMail using any email account as long as you are using a supported desktop email client to send and receive messages. Can I secure my Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, or other webmail account? Yes, however you must use a supported desktop email client (eg Outlook, Outlook Express) to access the email account. This is generally done by configuring the email account as a POP account within the supported mail client. Who can I send Tiscali SecureMail email messages to? Tiscali SecureMail subscribers can send secure messages to anyone. Your recipients do not need to be subscribers in order to receive secure messages. How does a non-subscriber collect a secure message? When composing a Tiscali SecureMail, the sender is prompted to assign a security question and answer for the intended recipient who is not subscribed to the service. An email notification message is sent to the non-subscriber informing them they have a new secure message ready for pickup. The link from the notification message directs the user to the Message Pickup Center web site where they are prompted to enter the answer to the security question (as defined by the sender). By successfully answering the security question, the message will be decrypted and displayed. Is Tiscali SecureMail standards-based? Yes - Tiscali SecureMail has been developed using trusted industry standards - public key infrastructure (PKI), digital certificates (X.509), and Secure / Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME). Sending and receiving SecureMail Who can I send Tiscali SecureMail email messages to? Tiscali SecureMail subscribers can send secure messages to virtually anyone. Your recipients do not need to be subscribers in order to receive secure messages. Is there a file size limit when sending Tiscali SecureMail? The same file size limits apply to secure messages as they do to regular email messages. Please see your email policies for details on size limits. Please note: When a message is encrypted (or scrambled) using Tiscali SecureMail, the message size could double or triple depending on the content and attachment type(s). Why am I only prompted to enter my Tiscali SecureMail password to send a secure message, other times I also have to assign a security question and answer for my recipients? With Tiscali SecureMail you can send a secure message directly to other subscribers of the service, or, you can send to non-subscribers. When you send to another subscriber - you are only prompted for a password, and the email goes directly from your PC to their inbox. When sending to a non-subscriber, you must attach a security question and answer to your message that the non-subscriber must answer correctly when they go to retrieve the secure email message. Why do some of my recipients receive my secure email messages directly into their inbox, while others have to go to a website to retrieve it? Recipients that receive the messages directly are also subscribers to the Tiscali SecureMail service. For those recipients that are not subscribers of Tiscali SecureMail, they will be directed to a website to retrieve the secure email message. I keep sending a Tiscali SecureMail message to a friend (a non-subscriber), who says he never receives the notification message - what's the problem? There are two possibilities. It is very likely that the recipient is using an anti-spam package that is falsely flagging the message as spam, or, the recipient is using a white-list filter and does not recognize who is sending the notification message. Have the recipient check their Junk or Spam folder being used by their anti-spam software to see if the notification message was flagged. If the message was blocked because of a white-list restriction, they should add the sender of the notification message to their white list. This name is not the sender of the original email, but rather the email address of the Tiscali SecureMail service that sends the notification message. How do I know whether my recipients retrieved my Tiscali SecureMail messages from the Message Pickup Center? If you send a Tiscali SecureMail message to someone and it is not retrieved from the Message Pickup Center, you will receive an email notification message at the end of the message holding period (30 days) stating that a specific person did not retrieve the message. In this case you should contact the recipient and let them know that you are resending the message, and that they should pick it up as soon as possible. If they are not receiving the Tiscali SecureMail notification message, please see the FAQ entitled "I keep sending a Tiscali SecureMail message to a friend (a non-subscriber), who says he never receives the notification message - what's the problem?" for more information. How long will the message be retained on the Message Pickup Center in order to be retrieved? When you send a secure email message to a non-subscriber, the message will be stored for 30 days. The message must be picked up within this time period, otherwise it will be deleted. If a Tiscali SecureMail message on the Message Pickup Center expires and is deleted, can it be recovered? No. The only way to get a copy of the message after it has been deleted on the Message Pickup Center is to ask the original sender to resend the message. I don't know the answer to the question that was assigned to the Tiscali SecureMail message I was notified to pickup. What now? Contact the sender of the email message to find out what the answer is to the challenge question. Can I forward a message in the Message Pickup Center to another person? Not directly. You can only reply to the sender or reply all, however you can also add other recipients to this list if you wish. Be advised that the message reply (or forward) is NOT secure. Installing and Installation Requirements Why am I unable to download the SystemCheck or Tiscali SecureMail plugin? It is likely that you are behind a personal firewall that is blocking your ability to download EXE files. The System Check Wizard and Tiscali SecureMail Installer are available as a ZIP files from their respective download pages. You may want to involve your help desk if you are having difficulties downloading either application. How big is the Tiscali SecureMail plugin? The Tiscali SecureMail plugin file is approximately 6MB in size. Can I install Tiscali SecureMail on multiple computers? Yes, there is no limit to the number of computers you can run the Tiscali SecureMail plugin on for each license you have acquired. The first time you activate your email account you will be prompted for your email address associated with your license and your activation code. On subsequent installations you will be challenged to supply your email address and your Tiscali SecureMail password (instead of the activation code). How do I reinstall Tiscali SecureMail on my new PC? As an existing Tiscali SecureMail subscriber, all you need to do is download and run the Tiscali SecureMail installer. Once you have completed the install, the system will recognize that you are an existing subscriber, and you will be challenged to supply your email address associated with your license and your Tiscali SecureMail password. Upon correctly entering the password, your Tiscali SecureMail ID information will be downloaded and stored on your new PC. I've lost my activation code, now what? Your activation code is sent via email to the email account that was registered for use with Tiscali SecureMail. If you no longer have this email message, you (or the account manager for your company) will need to contact Tiscali Support to retrieve a new activation code.. I didn't receive an activation code, now what? If you are using anti-spam software, it is possible that the email containing your activation code may have been flagged as spam. Please check the junk or spam folder for your activation code. Alternatively, contact Tiscali Support. Using Secure Folder I can't see the Secure Folder toolbar. How do I view it? If the Secure Folder toolbar does not appear on a folder's toolbar, select View > Toolbars > Secure Folder Toolbar. I've just copied a file into Secure Folder. Are both copies of the file secure? No. Only the files inside Secure Folder are secured. If you copy a file to Secure Folder, the original file (outside of Secure Folder) can still be accessed. What happens when I delete a file from Secure Folder? Files deleted from Secure Folder are permanently deleted. This is a security measure to ensure that when you delete a file from Secure Folder, it is not accessible in the Windows® Recycle Bin. I've exported a file and want to open it on another computer, but it doesn't work. What happened? In order to view a Secure Folder exported file, you must have Secure Folder installed on the computer you are using to view the file. Can I change how often Secure Folder asks for my password? Yes. You can adjust both the Timeout period (the amount of time of inactivity before Secure Folder requires your password) and the Password Prompt (when Secure Folder asks for your password). For more information, see the Secure Folder User Guide. Payments and Billing How much does Secure Mail and/or Secure Folder cost? The service costs £3.50 per month. The service is offered as a Value Added Service with a fixed monthly recurring fee. How many email addresses can I register for Secure Mail? The Secure Mail online registration form can accommodate sign up for 1 to 50 email addresses. How do I pay for my Secure Mail and/or Secure Folder license(s)? Payment can be made by Direct Debit or Credit Card. Accepted cards include Visa, MasterCard and American Express. If you are an existing Tiscali user, you can add payments to your bill. What is the billing currency? All billing is done in GBP (£ Sterling). If you are using a non-UK credit card, your credit card company may apply an exchange rate to the monthly fee. Sign Up and Ordering I am currently a Secure Mail subscriber. Do I need a new Secure ID and password to sign up for Secure Folder (or vice versa)? No. If you are currently a Secure Mail subscriber and you will be using the same email address for Secure Folder as Secure Mail, you do not need a new Secure ID and password. Instead, the password will be shared between Secure Mail and Secure Folder. Once you enter the email address for Secure Folder activation, you will be prompted for your password which you use for Secure Mail. This is also true for Secure Folder subscribers wanting to use the same Secure ID and password for Secure Mail. How many email addresses can I register for Secure Mail? The Secure Mail online registration form can accommodate sign up for 1 to 50 email addresses. Can I use my existing email address with Secure Mail? Yes. You can sign up for Secure Mail using any email account as long as you are using a supported desktop email client to send and receive messages. Can I secure my Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, or other webmail account? Yes. However, you must use a supported desktop email client (e.g., Outlook®, Outlook Express®) to access the email account. This is generally done by configuring the email account as a POP account within the supported email client. How can I determine if I meet the minimum system requirements for Secure Mail? Go to the system requirements page and download the System Check Wizard. This application will determine if your computer meets the minimum system requirements to install and use Secure Mail.