diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/alert_words.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/alert_words.js
index ea96597282..25e2a17fa6 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/alert_words.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/alert_words.js
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+add_dependencies({
+    util: 'js/util.js'
+});
+
 set_global('page_params', {
     alert_words: ['alertone', 'alerttwo', 'alertthree', 'al*rt.*s', '.+'],
     email: 'tester@zulip.com'
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/bot_data.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/bot_data.js
index 807f0f5728..78e3b13ae0 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/bot_data.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/bot_data.js
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+add_dependencies({
+    util: 'js/util.js'
+});
+
 var _ = global._;
 
 set_global('$', function (f) {
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/people.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/people.js
index c02f42314f..64a56fff86 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/people.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/people.js
@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@ add_dependencies({
 var people = require("js/people.js");
 
 set_global('page_params', {
-    people_list: []
+    people_list: [],
+    email: 'hamlet@example.com'
 });
 set_global('activity', {
     set_user_statuses: function () {}
diff --git a/static/js/activity.js b/static/js/activity.js
index 3c92fc4637..8a0e6a74f0 100644
--- a/static/js/activity.js
+++ b/static/js/activity.js
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ function focus_ping() {
 
             // Ping returns the active peer list
             _.each(data.presences, function (presence, this_email) {
-                if (page_params.email !== this_email) {
+                if (!util.is_current_user(this_email)) {
                     exports.presence_info[this_email] = status_from_timestamp(data.server_timestamp, presence);
                 }
             });
@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@ exports.set_user_statuses = function (users, server_time) {
     var updated_users = {};
     var status;
     _.each(users, function (presence, email) {
-        if (email === page_params.email) {
+        if (util.is_current_user(email)) {
             return;
         }
         status = status_from_timestamp(server_time, presence);
diff --git a/static/js/alert_words.js b/static/js/alert_words.js
index a1ba0d8d21..5d9a7ec9ac 100644
--- a/static/js/alert_words.js
+++ b/static/js/alert_words.js
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ exports.process_message = function (message) {
 };
 
 exports.notifies = function (message) {
-    return ((message.sender_email !== page_params.email) && message.alerted);
+    return !util.is_current_user(message.sender_email) && message.alerted;
 };
 
 return exports;
diff --git a/static/js/bot_data.js b/static/js/bot_data.js
index a687d64e5b..a141afe312 100644
--- a/static/js/bot_data.js
+++ b/static/js/bot_data.js
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ var bot_data = (function () {
     var set_can_admin = function bot_data__set_can_admin(bot) {
         if (page_params.is_admin) {
             bot.can_admin = true;
-        } else if (page_params.email === bot.owner) {
+        } else if (bot.owner !== undefined && util.is_current_user(bot.owner)) {
             bot.can_admin = true;
         } else {
             bot.can_admin = false;
diff --git a/static/js/compose_fade.js b/static/js/compose_fade.js
index 446b691934..5f1377b883 100644
--- a/static/js/compose_fade.js
+++ b/static/js/compose_fade.js
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ exports.would_receive_message = function (email) {
     // helpful if we want to emphasize the '.unfaded' class later (applied
     // to users who will definitely receive the message).
 
-    if (email.toLowerCase() === page_params.email.toLowerCase()) {
+    if (util.is_current_user(email)) {
         // We never want to fade you yourself, so pretend it's true even if
         // it's not.
         return true;
diff --git a/static/js/message_list_view.js b/static/js/message_list_view.js
index 1a759656c8..3a9df1f7b6 100644
--- a/static/js/message_list_view.js
+++ b/static/js/message_list_view.js
@@ -332,7 +332,7 @@ MessageListView.prototype = {
             if (row.hasClass('mention')) {
                 row.find('.user-mention').each(function () {
                     var email = $(this).attr('data-user-email');
-                    if (email === '*' || email === page_params.email) {
+                    if (email === '*' || util.is_current_user(email)) {
                         $(this).addClass('user-mention-me');
                     }
                 });
@@ -558,8 +558,7 @@ MessageListView.prototype = {
                 var row_id = rows.id(elem);
                 // check for `row_id` NaN in case we're looking at a date row or bookend row
                 if (row_id > -1 &&
-                    this.get_message(row_id).sender_email === page_params.email)
-                {
+                    util.is_current_user(this.get_message(row_id).sender_email)) {
                     distance_to_last_message_sent_by_me += elem.height();
                     id_of_last_message_sent_by_us = rows.id(elem);
                 }
diff --git a/static/js/message_store.js b/static/js/message_store.js
index 2397c2784d..a9de3a6b7e 100644
--- a/static/js/message_store.js
+++ b/static/js/message_store.js
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ exports.get_private_message_recipient = function (message, attr, fallback_attr)
     var recipient, i;
     var other_recipients = _.filter(message.display_recipient,
                                   function (element) {
-                                      return element.email !== page_params.email;
+                                      return !util.is_current_user(element.email);
                                   });
     if (other_recipients.length === 0) {
         // private message with oneself
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ function add_message_metadata(message) {
 
     var involved_people;
 
-    message.sent_by_me = (message.sender_email === page_params.email);
+    message.sent_by_me = util.is_current_user(message.sender_email);
 
     message.flags = message.flags || [];
     message.historical = (message.flags !== undefined &&
diff --git a/static/js/notifications.js b/static/js/notifications.js
index 990e7fbd15..8dafa84dc9 100644
--- a/static/js/notifications.js
+++ b/static/js/notifications.js
@@ -488,7 +488,7 @@ function get_message_header(message) {
     if (message.display_recipient.length > 2) {
         return "group PM with " + message.display_reply_to;
     }
-    if (message.reply_to === page_params.email) {
+    if (util.is_current_user(message.reply_to)) {
         return "PM with yourself";
     }
     return "PM with " + message.display_reply_to;
@@ -496,7 +496,7 @@ function get_message_header(message) {
 
 exports.possibly_notify_new_messages_outside_viewport = function (messages) {
     _.each(messages, function (message) {
-        if (message.sender_email !== page_params.email) {
+        if (!util.is_current_user(message.sender_email)) {
             return;
         }
         // queue up offscreen because of narrowed, or (secondarily) offscreen
@@ -533,7 +533,7 @@ exports.possibly_notify_new_messages_outside_viewport = function (messages) {
 // the current_msg_list (!can_apply_locally; a.k.a. "a search").
 exports.notify_messages_outside_current_search = function (messages) {
     _.each(messages, function (message) {
-        if (message.sender_email !== page_params.email) {
+        if (!util.is_current_user(message.sender_email)) {
             return;
         }
         exports.notify_above_composebox("Sent! Your recent message is outside the current search.",
diff --git a/static/js/people.js b/static/js/people.js
index 2a8cc1ff95..6d7a7298c1 100644
--- a/static/js/people.js
+++ b/static/js/people.js
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ function people_cmp(person1, person2) {
 exports.get_rest_of_realm = function get_rest_of_realm() {
     var people_minus_you = [];
     realm_people_dict.each(function (person) {
-        if (person.email !== page_params.email) {
+        if (!util.is_current_user(person.email)) {
             people_minus_you.push({"email": person.email,
                                    "full_name": person.full_name});
         }
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ exports.update = function update(person) {
 
         person_obj.full_name = person.full_name;
 
-        if (person.email === page_params.email) {
+        if (util.is_current_user(person.email)) {
             page_params.fullname = person.full_name;
         }
     }
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ exports.update = function update(person) {
     if (_.has(person, 'is_admin')) {
         person_obj.is_admin = person.is_admin;
 
-        if (person.email === page_params.email) {
+        if (util.is_current_user(person.email)) {
             page_params.is_admin = person.is_admin;
             admin.show_or_hide_menu_item();
         }
diff --git a/static/js/subs.js b/static/js/subs.js
index a1fa4d5943..7672cf2d03 100644
--- a/static/js/subs.js
+++ b/static/js/subs.js
@@ -887,7 +887,7 @@ $(function () {
             if (data.subscribed.hasOwnProperty(principal)) {
                 error_elem.addClass("hide");
                 warning_elem.addClass("hide");
-                if (principal === page_params.email) {
+                if (util.is_current_user(principal)) {
                     // mark_subscribed adds the user to the member list
                     exports.mark_subscribed(stream);
                 } else {
@@ -925,7 +925,7 @@ $(function () {
                 // Remove the user from the subscriber list.
                 list_entry.remove();
 
-                if (principal === page_params.email) {
+                if (util.is_current_user(principal)) {
                     // If you're unsubscribing yourself, mark whole
                     // stream entry as you being unsubscribed.
                     exports.mark_unsubscribed(stream_name);
diff --git a/static/js/util.js b/static/js/util.js
index 215e2db94a..8b515dad1c 100644
--- a/static/js/util.js
+++ b/static/js/util.js
@@ -61,6 +61,10 @@ exports.same_stream_and_subject = function util_same_stream_and_subject(a, b) {
             (a.subject.toLowerCase() === b.subject.toLowerCase()));
 };
 
+exports.is_current_user = function (email) {
+    return email.toLowerCase() === page_params.email.toLowerCase();
+};
+
 exports.same_major_recipient = function (a, b) {
     // Same behavior as same_recipient, except that it returns true for messages
     // on different topics but the same stream.