Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by janrinok on Tuesday May 01 2018, @02:02PM   Printer-friendly
from the no-you-see-me,-now-you-don't dept.

Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard

Google will slowly be rolling out a number of changes for consumer Gmail users and G Suite users. Some of the changes improve usability and productivity, while others are meant to maximize data and user protection. Some of the new security options should help enterprise users meed GDPR compliance needs.

[...] Gmail confidential mode will allow users to:

  • Set expiration dates for emails or revoke previously sent messages
  • Secure access to the contents of emails by requiring recipients to enter a password
  • Restrict the recipients’ ability to forward, copy, download or print emails.

These things will be possible because these emails will not be actually downloaded in the recipients’ inbox, but will be placed on a separate page/window where their content can be viewed, and the email will show that page.

Guess I'll be switching to ProtonMail for my webmail needs, which, granted, are few.

Source: https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2018/04/26/gmail-self-destructing-emails/


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by VLM on Tuesday May 01 2018, @05:29PM (3 children)

    by VLM (445) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday May 01 2018, @05:29PM (#674218)

    Well, I'm not claiming it exists, but it certainly could.

    Interesting theory, congress passes a law that its illegal to take a picture of a QR code containing the QR encoded text "Per federal law its illegal to take a picture of this". Plus or minus its illegal to post pix containing that QR code on social media. Its illegal to sell a digital camera that takes pix with that QR code in the frame.

    I'm sure it'll all be marketed as "saving the children" like little girls bikinis will have that QR code to keep cheese pizza predators from taking pix. Or it'll be posted over the security scanner at day care centers to stop terrorists from gaining intel on massacres at child care centers. Paint it on the side of nuclear power plant towers, after all only a terrorist would want a picture of that. Or paint it on the side of a federal superfund site dumping industrial waste into the river, why only a terrorist would want to document that LOL.

    Of course that QR code will be on legacy paper currency, certified copies of birth certificates, drivers licenses, anything thats occasionally forged or counterfeited.

    And of course in exchange for cops wearing body cameras they can shut off, break, or obscure, we'll be told they'd never do that but their uniforms will have a patch containing the "don't record me" QR code. Seems fair, after all the thin blue line and cops never do anything wrong etc etc.

    They'll be a centrally controlled wide spread fashion statement to put that QR code on meme tee shirts to normalize the concept and get people used to not being able to record certain things.

    I wonder how they'll roll out security cameras, otherwise criminals will walk around with that QR code. Probably something like a NTSC/analog loophole, only banning digital cameras. Obviously it would be tricky for analog film cameras to ban pix, but they're pretty rare in the field of cell phone movies of cops shooting and beating people...

    And that QR code will appear on the background in "secure" gmail emails.... And if you access a "secure" email via POP or IMAP you get a placeholder to upgrade (lol upgrade) to the web interface to see secured content, just like DRM was rolled out to "benefit" consumers, LOL.

    The only thing I find more amusing than conspiracy theories is homemade hard-ish sci fi, this would make a very believable back story or even plot line for a near future dystopia where all the cell phones are newer than Android 11 and I'm sure the law would have some ridiculous name like "the federal save the children from pedos and sexting law of 2019" or whatever.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 1) by pTamok on Tuesday May 01 2018, @07:27PM

    by pTamok (3042) on Tuesday May 01 2018, @07:27PM (#674275)

    That anti-copy feature exists and pre-dates widespread use of QR-codes: EURion constellation [wikipedia.org].

    There is also commercially available anti-copy paper, which uses the Eurion constellation and other techniques: CopyproofTM [copyproof.eu]. I have no connection with the vendor.

    I would not be surprised if clothing is already available with the Eurion constallation printed on it or woven into it.

  • (Score: 2) by Wootery on Wednesday May 02 2018, @10:22AM (1 child)

    by Wootery (2341) on Wednesday May 02 2018, @10:22AM (#674522)

    But that whole thought-experiment depends on cooperative devices that the authorities control, as opposed to devices that work for the user. Even if you could control the viewing hardware used by untrusted recipient (you could force use of a specific controlled device, the way games consoles do), you still lose: the recipient can still photograph their screen.

    DRM can work reasonably well to control the ability to run a program on a games console (in both directions: it can forbid running the game on an arbitrary platform, and forbid running arbitrary code on the controlled platform). DRM doesn't work when you're trying to control read access to confidential documents.

    Incidentally, it's also the reason your QR code thought experiment would never work. If a totalitarian idea depends on banning the public use of film-based cameras, well, good luck with that.

    • (Score: 2) by VLM on Thursday May 03 2018, @01:12PM

      by VLM (445) Subscriber Badge on Thursday May 03 2018, @01:12PM (#675027)

      Its all about the casuals. Can joe 6 pack copy a cassette tape, back in the old days, sure. Can joe 6 pack copy a blueray, no. Eliminate 99% of the copying etc etc.

      Its weaponizing QR codes against joe 6 pack and ida instagram and fanny facebook, not people who can use an IDE to write software.

      Just ship phone rom images with the default camera app that shuts down or reports you if it detects the special QR code in a pic, thats all, nothing too elaborate.

      99.99% effective is more than good enough to stop random civilians from recording police beatdowns, for example.