# HawkOpen — Questions and answers (English)
> Short, checked answers about email tracking, read receipts, campaigns, documents and signatures, plans, privacy and the law. Each answer says what the product does today.
> This information is general and concerns the features of HawkOpen (TriStiX S.L.). It is not individual legal advice or an assessment of whether a specific campaign or document complies with the law. Customers make their own decisions about their activities and, where needed, consult a qualified specialist. This does not limit any rights they have under mandatory law.
URL: https://hawkopen.com/en/faq
JSON: https://hawkopen.com/en/faq.json
Checked: 2026-11-13
## Countries and markets
Local questions from the US, the UK, Germany, India and France: read receipts at Yahoo, BT, GMX, Orange, Zoho and in Outlook, and local rules such as PECR, § 25 TDDDG, the CCPA and India’s DPDP Act.
URL: https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets
### How do I request a read receipt in GMX, WEB.DE or T-Online Mail, and why does none arrive?
URL: https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets/gmx-webde-t-online-read-receipts
In the GMX and WEB.DE web mailers you tick Read receipt under Options while writing the email; in their Android apps it is in the three-dot menu. A receipt comes back only if the recipient’s program supports it and the recipient agrees, so many emails never get one.
GMX and WEB.DE describe the option for the email you are writing; their help pages name no setting that requests a receipt for every email. For T-Online, freenet or Vodafone mail, look in the options of a new email or in the provider’s help. A receipt only says that the recipient’s program reported an opening, not that the text was read.
A read receipt is a request inside your email; the recipient’s program decides whether to answer it. The standard for receipts (RFC 8098) recommends that programs ask the recipient first and send nothing by default, so a missing receipt does not mean the email was not read.
HawkOpen does not use read receipts. You can connect a GMX, WEB.DE, T-Online or other mailbox to HawkOpen with IMAP and SMTP, using the server names, ports and password from your provider (many providers ask for an app password), and send tracked emails from the HawkOpen dashboard. Only mail servers on public addresses are accepted, by default on ports 465 or 587 for SMTP and 143 or 993 for IMAP. HawkOpen is in a controlled launch, so each provider connection is verified before it is offered in production.
Every email tracked by HawkOpen ends with a short notice that it contains tracking elements, with a link where the recipient can turn tracking off. An open is an estimate, not proof that someone read the email.
Where rules that require consent apply, tracking may start only after that consent has been obtained. The link in the message lets the recipient withdraw consent later.
Related questions: [What is a read receipt and where are its settings?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/read-receipts/what-is-a-read-receipt), [What is the difference between a delivery receipt, a read receipt and open tracking?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/read-receipts/read-receipt-vs-open-tracking), [Does email open tracking in Germany need consent under § 25 TDDDG?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets/tdddg-consent-for-email-open-tracking)
Checked: 2026-11-11
### How do I make Outlook request a read receipt for every email?
URL: https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets/outlook-always-request-read-receipt
Only classic Outlook for Windows has a setting for all emails: File, Options, Mail, then tick the read receipt box under Tracking. In the new Outlook and Outlook on the web, Microsoft describes the request only for one email at a time, in the Options tab of a new message.
Microsoft itself suggests asking for receipts only on important messages, because recipients who are asked rarely are more likely to answer. It also notes that the option is not available for IMAP or POP accounts such as Gmail, Yahoo or iCloud in Outlook, and that recipients can decline, so a receipt that never comes proves nothing.
HawkOpen does not use read receipts. It records image loads and clicks for each tracked email: from Outlook on the web through the extension for Chrome or Firefox, or from the Outlook desktop app by sending through the HawkOpen dashboard with your connected Microsoft mailbox. Each open gets a category, and none is more than “likely” a person.
Related questions: [Does Outlook have read receipts and how do I request one?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/read-receipts/does-outlook-have-read-receipts), [Where is the read receipt option in the new Outlook and in the Outlook mobile app?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets#new-outlook-and-mobile-read-receipts), [Why don’t Outlook read receipts arrive?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/read-receipts/outlook-read-receipt-not-working)
Checked: 2026-11-11
### Where is the read receipt option in the new Outlook and in the Outlook mobile app?
URL: https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets#new-outlook-and-mobile-read-receipts
In the new Outlook, open a new email, go to the Options tab and tick Request a Read Receipt in the Tracking group; if you do not see it, choose More options at the end of the ribbon. Microsoft’s guide to read receipts does not describe the option for the Outlook app on iPhone or Android.
The option is unavailable for IMAP or POP accounts such as Gmail, Yahoo or iCloud added to Outlook, and Microsoft says you cannot request a read receipt in Outlook.com. The new Outlook has no setting that asks for a receipt on every email; that setting exists only in classic Outlook for Windows (File, Options, Mail, Tracking). Under Settings, Mail, Message handling you only choose how to answer other people’s requests.
HawkOpen does not rely on read receipts: in Outlook on the web its extension for Chrome or Firefox records image loads and clicks, and every open gets a category instead of a promise that someone read the email.
Related questions: [How do I make Outlook request a read receipt for every email?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets/outlook-always-request-read-receipt), [Does Outlook have read receipts and how do I request one?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/read-receipts/does-outlook-have-read-receipts)
Checked: 2026-11-11
### What happens to a read receipt if the recipient deletes my email unread?
URL: https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets#read-receipt-when-deleted-unread
The read-receipt standard (RFC 8098) lets the recipient’s program report that a message was deleted, and says the recipient may or may not have seen it. Whether such a notice is sent depends on that program and its settings; often nothing arrives at all.
So a deletion notice does not prove the email was unread, and no notice proves nothing either. HawkOpen does not use receipts; it records image loads, clicks and replies, and an image load is an estimate, not proof of reading.
Related questions: [What is a read receipt and where are its settings?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/read-receipts/what-is-a-read-receipt), [What is the difference between a delivery receipt, a read receipt and open tracking?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/read-receipts/read-receipt-vs-open-tracking)
Checked: 2026-11-11
### Does email open tracking in Germany need consent under § 25 TDDDG?
URL: https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets/tdddg-consent-for-email-open-tracking
> This information is general and concerns the features of HawkOpen (TriStiX S.L.). It is not individual legal advice or an assessment of whether a specific campaign or document complies with the law. Customers make their own decisions about their activities and, where needed, consult a qualified specialist. This does not limit any rights they have under mandatory law. Last reviewed: November 11, 2026.
§ 25 TDDDG allows storing information on a user’s device, or accessing information stored there, only with consent based on clear and comprehensive information, unless one of two narrow exceptions applies. The European Data Protection Board says the EU rule behind it, Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive, applies to tracking pixels in emails.
The two exceptions in § 25(2) TDDDG are: the sole purpose is to transmit a message over a public telecommunications network, or the storage or access is strictly necessary so that a provider can deliver a digital service the user has expressly asked for.
The EDPB’s Guidelines 2/2023 (version 2, adopted on 7 October 2024) describe the case of a sender who includes a pixel to detect when the receiver reads the email. They say that delivering a pixel counts as storage on the device and that collecting the identifier it sends back counts as gaining access. HawkOpen does not assess whether an exception fits your use; ask a lawyer or your data protection authority.
What HawkOpen does: a notice in every tracked email with a link where the recipient turns tracking off, and settings to exclude addresses, domains or countries from tracking.
Where rules that require consent apply, tracking may start only after that consent has been obtained. The link in the message lets the recipient withdraw consent later.
Related questions: [Is an email tracking pixel GDPR compliant?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/legal-eu/email-tracking-pixel-and-gdpr), [Which exceptions to consent for email tracking pixels exist?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/legal-eu/consent-exceptions-for-tracking-pixels), [Can I exclude some recipients or countries from tracking?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/recipients#exclude-recipients-or-countries-from-tracking)
Checked: 2026-11-11
### Is a read receipt proof under German law that an email was received?
URL: https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets/read-receipt-as-proof-of-receipt-germany
> This information is general and concerns the features of HawkOpen (TriStiX S.L.). It is not individual legal advice or an assessment of whether a specific campaign or document complies with the law. Customers make their own decisions about their activities and, where needed, consult a qualified specialist. This does not limit any rights they have under mandatory law. Last reviewed: November 11, 2026.
Under § 130 BGB a declaration made to someone who is not present takes effect when it reaches them, so the law looks at receipt, not reading. A read receipt can be one piece of evidence that an email arrived; how much it proves is for the court, which weighs all the evidence according to its free conviction (§ 286 ZPO).
A missing read receipt shows nothing, because the recipient or their program can decline to send one. For important declarations with deadlines, such as a termination, ask a lawyer which form of delivery and which proof suit your case.
HawkOpen does not use read receipts. It records when your sending server accepted the message, whether it bounced, and later image loads, clicks and replies. Acceptance by the sending server is not delivery to the recipient, and an image load is an estimate, not proof of reading.
Related questions: [Can an email be used as evidence in court?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/legal-eu/email-as-evidence-in-court), [How can I prove that an email was sent or received?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/how-works/how-to-prove-an-email-was-sent-or-received), [Read receipts and data protection: can a sender get one without the recipient’s agreement?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets#read-receipt-without-recipient-consent)
Checked: 2026-11-11
### Read receipts and data protection: can a sender get one without the recipient’s agreement?
URL: https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets#read-receipt-without-recipient-consent
> This information is general and concerns the features of HawkOpen (TriStiX S.L.). It is not individual legal advice or an assessment of whether a specific campaign or document complies with the law. Customers make their own decisions about their activities and, where needed, consult a qualified specialist. This does not limit any rights they have under mandatory law. Last reviewed: November 11, 2026.
A read receipt is sent by the recipient’s own mail program, and the standard behind it recommends asking the recipient first and sending nothing by default; the recipient can decline. A tracking pixel is different: it reports a request for an image without the recipient doing anything, and rules on access to the recipient’s device, such as § 25 TDDDG, are discussed for pixels.
A program can be set to send receipts automatically; then a receipt goes out without a question each time, because the recipient chose that setting. The standard also says a program must not send one automatically when the address asking for it differs from the message’s return address. Whether processing a receipt meets data-protection law in your case, HawkOpen does not assess.
HawkOpen does not use read receipts. Its tracked emails end with a notice and a link where the recipient turns tracking off.
Where rules that require consent apply, tracking may start only after that consent has been obtained. The link in the message lets the recipient withdraw consent later.
Related questions: [Does email open tracking in Germany need consent under § 25 TDDDG?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets/tdddg-consent-for-email-open-tracking), [What is the difference between a delivery receipt, a read receipt and open tracking?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/read-receipts/read-receipt-vs-open-tracking)
Checked: 2026-11-11
### How do I request a read receipt in Orange, SFR, Free or laposte.net mail, and why does it not work?
URL: https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets/orange-sfr-free-laposte-read-receipts
In Mail Orange you choose the read-receipt option while writing the email, and Orange says you get a receipt only if the recipient agrees to send it. For SFR Mail, Free webmail and laposte.net, look in the options of a new email or in the provider’s help; the same limit applies everywhere.
Orange’s help also says that the Mail Orange page of the orange.fr mobile portal cannot request a read receipt; use the app or the webmail on a computer. In the settings you decide how you answer other people’s requests: always send, never send, or ask me. Do not confuse this with La Poste’s acknowledgement of receipt for a registered letter, which is a postal service.
A read receipt is a request inside your email; the recipient’s program decides whether to answer it. The standard for receipts (RFC 8098) recommends that programs ask the recipient first and send nothing by default, so a missing receipt does not mean the email was not read.
HawkOpen does not use read receipts. You can connect an Orange, SFR, Free, laposte.net or other mailbox to HawkOpen with IMAP and SMTP, using the server names, ports and password from your provider (many providers ask for an app password), and send tracked emails from the HawkOpen dashboard. Only mail servers on public addresses are accepted, by default on ports 465 or 587 for SMTP and 143 or 993 for IMAP. HawkOpen is in a controlled launch, so each provider connection is verified before it is offered in production.
Every email tracked by HawkOpen ends with a short notice that it contains tracking elements, with a link where the recipient can turn tracking off. An open is an estimate, not proof that someone read the email.
Where rules that require consent apply, tracking may start only after that consent has been obtained. The link in the message lets the recipient withdraw consent later.
Related questions: [What is a read receipt and where are its settings?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/read-receipts/what-is-a-read-receipt), [What is the difference between a delivery receipt, a read receipt and open tracking?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/read-receipts/read-receipt-vs-open-tracking), [What do the CNIL and other EU regulators say about tracking pixels in emails?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/legal-eu/cnil-eu-guidance-on-tracking-pixels)
Checked: 2026-11-11
### Do Yahoo Mail, AOL Mail and Xfinity (Comcast) email have read receipts?
URL: https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets#yahoo-aol-xfinity-read-receipts
Yahoo says Yahoo Mail has no read-receipt feature, so you cannot request one there. For AOL Mail and Xfinity (Comcast) email, check the provider’s help; wherever the option exists, a receipt arrives only if the recipient’s program supports it and the recipient agrees.
A read receipt is a request inside your email; the recipient’s program decides whether to answer it. The standard for receipts (RFC 8098) recommends that programs ask the recipient first and send nothing by default, so a missing receipt does not mean the email was not read.
The HawkOpen extension for Chrome and Firefox works in Yahoo Mail in the browser; when Yahoo loads the tracking image through its own proxy, HawkOpen labels the open as a proxy (R-OPEN-YAHOO), not as a person. AOL Mail, Xfinity and other mailboxes are connected with IMAP and SMTP from servers on public addresses, by default on ports 465 or 587 and 143 or 993, and you send tracked emails from the HawkOpen dashboard. HawkOpen is in a controlled launch, so each provider connection is verified before it is offered in production.
Related questions: [How do I know if someone read my email?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/read-receipts/how-to-know-if-someone-read-my-email), [What is the difference between a delivery receipt, a read receipt and open tracking?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/read-receipts/read-receipt-vs-open-tracking), [Does Outlook have read receipts and how do I request one?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/read-receipts/does-outlook-have-read-receipts)
Checked: 2026-11-11
### What does email tracking mean in Dynamics 365, and does it show opens?
URL: https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets#dynamics-365-email-tracking
In the Dynamics 365 App for Outlook, tracking an email means saving a copy of it as an activity in Dynamics 365, optionally linked to a record (Set Regarding); it says nothing about opens. Opens are a separate Dynamics 365 Sales feature, email engagement, which an administrator has to turn on.
Microsoft describes email engagement as counting opens with a one-pixel image, so an open is counted only when the recipient’s program downloads images, and it calls the data approximate. HawkOpen works separately from Dynamics 365: it tracks emails you send from Outlook on the web with its extension or from its dashboard, and gives every open a category (for example a proxy or a scanner), never more than “likely” a person.
Related questions: [Does HawkOpen integrate with my CRM, such as Pipedrive?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/integrations/does-hawkopen-integrate-with-a-crm), [How accurate is email open tracking?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/accuracy/how-accurate-is-email-open-tracking)
Checked: 2026-11-11
### Do US state privacy laws such as the CCPA limit email open tracking, and when is tracking data sold or shared?
URL: https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets#us-state-privacy-laws-and-open-tracking
> This information is general and concerns the features of HawkOpen (TriStiX S.L.). It is not individual legal advice or an assessment of whether a specific campaign or document complies with the law. Customers make their own decisions about their activities and, where needed, consult a qualified specialist. This does not limit any rights they have under mandatory law. Last reviewed: November 11, 2026.
The CCPA gives California residents the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of their personal information, and the California Privacy Protection Agency links sharing to cross-context behavioral advertising. Whether your use of open data counts as a sale or sharing depends on who receives it and why; HawkOpen does not assess that for you.
The CCPA covers only businesses that meet its conditions, and other states have their own privacy laws with different scopes and duties. Check the current rules with the state authority or an adviser.
What HawkOpen offers: a notice in every tracked email linking to a recipient page where people turn tracking off, download their tracking data or ask for erasure, after a one-time code sent to their own address; you can also exclude addresses, domains or countries from tracking.
Where rules that require consent apply, tracking may start only after that consent has been obtained. The link in the message lets the recipient withdraw consent later.
Related questions: [Does the CCPA apply to small businesses that track emails?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/legal-us/ccpa-and-small-businesses), [Are email tracking pixels a CIPA wiretap or pen register risk in California?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/legal-us/california-cipa-and-tracking-pixels), [Can I exclude some recipients or countries from tracking?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/recipients#exclude-recipients-or-countries-from-tracking)
Checked: 2026-11-11
### Do UK PECR rules and ICO guidance require consent for tracking pixels in emails?
URL: https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets/uk-pecr-ico-tracking-pixels
> This information is general and concerns the features of HawkOpen (TriStiX S.L.). It is not individual legal advice or an assessment of whether a specific campaign or document complies with the law. Customers make their own decisions about their activities and, where needed, consult a qualified specialist. This does not limit any rights they have under mandatory law. Last reviewed: November 11, 2026.
The ICO says the email marketing rules in PECR cover the email itself, while tracking pixels fall under PECR’s separate rules on storage and access technologies (regulation 6). Under those rules, storing or reading information on a recipient’s device needs consent unless an exception in Schedule A1 applies.
Schedule A1, in force since 5 February 2026 (added by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025), lists the exceptions: transmitting a communication; what is strictly necessary for an online service the user requested; statistics about how your own online service or website is used, when the user is clearly informed and can object for free; adapting a website’s appearance or functions; and emergency assistance. Consent requires clear and comprehensive information about the purpose.
The ICO’s guidance describes an organisation that puts a tracking pixel in its marketing emails and says regulation 6 applies where the pixel stores or reads information on the device. HawkOpen does not assess whether an exception covers your use; check the ICO’s guidance or ask an adviser.
What HawkOpen does: a notice in every tracked email with a link where the recipient turns tracking off, and settings to exclude addresses, domains or countries from tracking.
Where rules that require consent apply, tracking may start only after that consent has been obtained. The link in the message lets the recipient withdraw consent later.
Related questions: [Is cold emailing legal?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/legal-eu/cold-emailing-legality), [Is email open tracking legal?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/recipients/is-email-open-tracking-legal), [Can I exclude some recipients or countries from tracking?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/recipients#exclude-recipients-or-countries-from-tracking)
Checked: 2026-11-11
### Can I get read receipts with BT Email, Sky Mail or Virgin Media Mail?
URL: https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets#bt-sky-virgin-media-read-receipts
Whether BT Email, Sky Mail or Virgin Media Mail lets you request a read receipt is up to each provider, so check its help pages. Even where the option exists, a receipt arrives only if the recipient’s program supports it and the recipient agrees.
A read receipt is a request inside your email; the recipient’s program decides whether to answer it. The standard for receipts (RFC 8098) recommends that programs ask the recipient first and send nothing by default, so a missing receipt does not mean the email was not read.
HawkOpen does not use read receipts. You can connect a BT, Sky, Virgin Media or other mailbox to HawkOpen with IMAP and SMTP, using the server names, ports and password from your provider (many providers ask for an app password), and send tracked emails from the HawkOpen dashboard. Only mail servers on public addresses are accepted, by default on ports 465 or 587 for SMTP and 143 or 993 for IMAP. HawkOpen is in a controlled launch, so each provider connection is verified before it is offered in production.
Related questions: [How do I know if someone read my email?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/read-receipts/how-to-know-if-someone-read-my-email), [What is a read receipt and where are its settings?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/read-receipts/what-is-a-read-receipt)
Checked: 2026-11-11
### How do I enable, request or turn off read receipts in Zoho Mail?
URL: https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets/zoho-mail-read-receipts
In Zoho Mail you can ask for a receipt on one email (More options, then Ask receipt while writing) or on every outgoing email (Settings, Compose, Read receipt). The recipient decides whether to answer, so you get nothing if they decline, even if they read the email.
To turn off receipts you send to others, Zoho Mail lets you choose how to answer requests: always send, never send, or ask me. A receipt only says that the recipient’s program reported an opening.
HawkOpen does not use read receipts. You can connect a Zoho Mail mailbox to HawkOpen with IMAP and SMTP, using the server names, ports and password from your provider (many providers ask for an app password), and send tracked emails from the HawkOpen dashboard. Only mail servers on public addresses are accepted, by default on ports 465 or 587 for SMTP and 143 or 993 for IMAP. HawkOpen is in a controlled launch, so each provider connection is verified before it is offered in production.
The HawkOpen browser extension works in Gmail, Outlook on the web and Yahoo Mail, not inside Zoho Mail; with a Zoho mailbox you write and send tracked emails in the HawkOpen dashboard.
Every email tracked by HawkOpen ends with a short notice that it contains tracking elements, with a link where the recipient can turn tracking off. An open is an estimate, not proof that someone read the email.
Where rules that require consent apply, tracking may start only after that consent has been obtained. The link in the message lets the recipient withdraw consent later.
Related questions: [What is a read receipt and where are its settings?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/read-receipts/what-is-a-read-receipt), [Is email tracking allowed in India, and does the DPDP Act require consent?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets#email-tracking-india-dpdp-act)
Checked: 2026-11-11
### Is email tracking allowed in India, and does the DPDP Act require consent?
URL: https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets#email-tracking-india-dpdp-act
> This information is general and concerns the features of HawkOpen (TriStiX S.L.). It is not individual legal advice or an assessment of whether a specific campaign or document complies with the law. Customers make their own decisions about their activities and, where needed, consult a qualified specialist. This does not limit any rights they have under mandatory law. Last reviewed: November 13, 2026.
India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 allows processing personal data for a lawful purpose with the person’s consent or for certain legitimate uses listed in the Act. Its provisions and rules enter into force in stages set by government notification, so not every duty applies from the same date. Whether open tracking needs consent in your case, HawkOpen does not assess.
Consent under the Act must be free, specific, informed, unconditional and unambiguous, given by a clear affirmative action, and it can be withdrawn as easily as it was given. A request for consent comes with a notice describing the data and the purpose, which the person must be able to read in English or in a language of the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. The Act also covers processing outside India connected with offering goods or services to people in India. Check which provisions already apply in the Gazette of India or with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and whether other rules apply to you too.
HawkOpen’s notice in tracked emails and its pages for recipients are available in seven European languages, English, Polish, German, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese, like the site; there is no Hindi or other Indian language.
Where rules that require consent apply, tracking may start only after that consent has been obtained. The link in the message lets the recipient withdraw consent later.
Related questions: [How do I enable, request or turn off read receipts in Zoho Mail?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/markets/zoho-mail-read-receipts), [Is email open tracking legal?](https://hawkopen.com/en/faq/recipients/is-email-open-tracking-legal)
Checked: 2026-11-13