How to Create an Account

RiseUp offers you three different methods for registering a webmail account. Each method requires a different investment of effort and time.

1) Individuals and/or organisations are invited to join by two existing RiseUp account members. This method requires that they each send you an invite code. To see how such codes are generated, please refer to Section 4.3 The Invites Page

2). Directly request an account from the RiseUp team themselves. This method requires the largest amount of patience and time. Bear in mind that RiseUp generally runs on donations and the enthusiasm and goodwill of its volunteers.

3). Participants in the Digital Security Project can receive the invitation codes from their hard copy version of the NGO in a Box - Security edition.

After you have received your invite codes, perform the following steps to register your free RiseUp account as follows:

Step 1. Type https://mail.riseup.net into your web browser to activate the RiseUp site as follows:

Figure 1: The Riseup eMail Home page

Note: Notice the https:// in the address bar. This indicates that you are now communicating through a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) connection. A green text message notifying you that Your connection is encrypted is displayed above the login text fields. For more information about this, please refer to the How-to Booklet chapter 7. Keeping your Internet Communication Private or to https://help.riseup.net/security.

Step 2. Click: to activate the Request account page as follows:

Figure 2: The RiseUp Request a mail account page

Step 3. Click: to display the RiseUp Social Contract, Privacy Policy and Terms of Service page.

Important: You must check the following options to proceed any further in creating your RiseUp account:

Check: the I accept riseup.net's social contract. option

Check: the I accept riseup.net's privacy policy. option

Check: the I accept riseup.net's terms of service. option

Step 4. Click: to begin creating your RiseUp account by filling out the following on-line forms: Account information, Password, Mutual aid and Activation.

2.1 The Account information form

Step 5: Enter a desired user name for your account. This will become your login and your email address (for example, type 'tthetester' as the desired name if you wish your email address to be tthetester@riseup.net). Do not use spaces, commas or full stops in the user name.

Figure 4: A completed Account information form

Click: once you have chosen a unique user name. If a similar user name already exists, you will be asked to create a different one.

2.2 The Password form

You are asked to create a security question and answer, and a good password to protect login to your account on this form. The security question will be asked if you forget your password. Unfortunately it also creates a vulnerability. Your adversary may only have to guess the answer or to intercept the new password being sent to you. It is best practice to remove the possibility of guessing the answer to your secret question. This can be done by spoiling the two fields as per the example below.

Figure 5: A completed Password form

This also means that it will be next to impossible to reset your password. You will need to remember it! This is the most secure, if not the most convenient, option.

The password for your RiseUp account is the most important factor in the security of your account. You must choose a strong password. For more information, please refer to booklet chapter 3. How to Create and Maintain Good Passwords and to the manual on KeePass.

Step 7. Click:

2.3 The Mutual Aid form

RiseUp is completely dependent on the generosity and kindness of strangers in terms of donations and volunteers. Although their requests for financial support are legitimate and necessary, RiseUp also encourages users to invest their money in their local social justice projects. It is entirely up to you to decide whether or not you or your organisation could make a contribution here.

Note: Your decision will not affect your account registration process in any way. You can still continue to create your free RiseUp account.

Figure 6: A Mutual aid form

Step 8. Click:

2.4 The Activation form

You are required to enter your invite codes in the Activation form.

Step 9. Type the Invite codes into their respective text fields.

Figure 7: A completed Activation form

Step 10. Click: to finish creating your RiseUp account as follows:

Figure 8: An example of a completed form

Step 11. Click: to return to Figure 2.

Congratulations! You have successfully created your RiseUp email account and will be returned to Figure 2: The RiseUp Request a mail account page.