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Gmail Users Can Now Send Self-Destructing Emails

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

MrPlow writes:

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/

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  • (Score: 2) by TheRaven on Wednesday May 02 2018, @10:06AM (1 child)

    by TheRaven (270) on Wednesday May 02 2018, @10:06AM (#674518) Journal
    The email always displays in a browser. If you don't receive it in the GMail web interface or a Google-controlled app, then it just displays as a link. The recipient must then click on the link and see a Google-provided page. It's still possible to capture the JavaScript that decodes the text, though it's likely to be obfuscated and refuse to run if it can't communicate with the Google server. It's not impossible to break, but maybe no one cares enough to do it.
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  • (Score: 2) by edIII on Wednesday May 02 2018, @07:26PM

    by edIII (791) on Wednesday May 02 2018, @07:26PM (#674713)

    LOL, then it's really fucking useless. I understand that on my side of things, I'm just storing an email containing a link. That's no different than some of the file sharing services out there operating professionally, since most mail servers will tell you to fuck off when you try a 250GB attachment.

    I don't think people will appreciate it all that much, since a link doesn't remind you about the content. You might not even have a subject line. Which means it's all the more easier to delete it on my end.

    As for the obfuscation, anything that makes it more difficult to review, edit, and/or copy the content will just make workflow that much more disrupted. You're correct too, I can still copy and archive the information on my end if I want too. What I predict though, is that this security may prove too disruptive for some users, and they will demand it be resent without protection or the user will opt to not use self-destruct.

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