Type: Privacy-first email and communication tools for activists
Access: Tor Browser or regular browser
Access model: Invite required or application process
Jurisdiction: United States (Seattle)
Clearnet: riseup.net
Last verified: March 2026
Onion Address
What Riseup Provides
Email (no IP logging, no commercial data use), mailing lists, VPN, chat (XMPP) and a productivity suite. All services are built around a documented commitment to user privacy: no advertising, no data mining, no cooperation with requests it considers politically motivated. It publishes a canary statement indicating whether it has received government orders.
Riseup has operated since 1999 without a documented privacy violation. That 25-year track record is meaningful in an ecosystem where privacy claims are easy to make and hard to verify.
Access Requirements
Riseup is invite-only — you need an existing Riseup member to provide an invite code, or you can apply directly through their website explaining your use case. This restriction keeps the service focused on its intended user base. If you have connections to activist or social justice communities, invite codes are relatively accessible through those networks.
Who It Is For
Activists, journalists, human rights workers and organisations that need communication infrastructure operated by people with aligned values and no commercial interests. Not practical for general users — the invite requirement and activist focus make it unsuitable as a general-purpose email service.