Google adds Gmail Confidential Mode to Android

17 August 2018
The feature sets a self-destruct timer for conversations and arrives without updating the app.

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  • Bewildered
  • 3Jn
  • 19 Aug 2018

Anonymous, 18 Aug 2018I just don't see the point of this, if the email is not fir... moreI had to read this many times before I think I fully understood it.

Yes once you have made a permanent copy you can read the contents of the email and print it off
Say the sender has a 7 day limit, on day 8 despite having read and printed the email, you cannot open it, even if it in your inbox, note you are using the internet to access an email stored on Google servers, the message is no longer accessible.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • 39h
    • 18 Aug 2018

    This will only prevent someone who steals your unlocked phone from reading your messages.

    The contents of that message is still available to Google and U.S. government for years, and the metrics gathered from it will never ever be deleted. And this applies to not only gmail addresses, but all addresses entered into the GMail app -- that is how it is designed to work, and by using it you have effectively agreed to it.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • rZt
      • 18 Aug 2018

      I just don't see the point of this, if the email is not first end to end encrypted in a zero knowledge fashion (like Protonmail).

      Sure, your intended recipient can't save the message indefinitely (although they could print it, take a screen shot, etc.). But since it's regular old email everyone else (Google, the state security agencies, hackers) can read the email and archive a copy forever.

      So it's really not one's intended recipient people should be so worried about. It's everyone else. This does not solve that problem, making it more of privacy theater than real privacy (which is of course the point, Google wants to distract from the fact that their business model is based on reading your emails for marketing purposes--making you feel like you have privacy, so you don't pay attention to the fact that Google itself violates your privacy in every possible way).

        Hum, I believe google woke up on the crazy side when she thought about it, offer passcode? It knows everything. Lol

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • 8as
          • 18 Aug 2018

          it's a silly idea because you can easily take a screen shot and that will last forever. i would think end to end encryption is more useful to the average person

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • tNw
            • 18 Aug 2018

            Ironic.

              • D
              • AnonD-762416
              • JbS
              • 17 Aug 2018

              Your life will now be shared 100% confidentially with corporations and russian troll factories..

                .alpha, 17 Aug 2018"While Gmail users will have no trouble opening the confide... moreSo your saying you want Google to enable this feature in email services of different companies? Tell me one way in which that is possible? They are one of the email service company with this feature, they can't ammend services of other companies.

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                  • .alpha
                  • ytx
                  • 17 Aug 2018

                  "While Gmail users will have no trouble opening the confidential message, non-Gmail customers will get an email passcode to authenticate from a secure web portal."

                  Sounds like Google trying to create a proprietary standards again. Billion $ fines in the future

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                    • ARc
                    • Y}}
                    • 17 Aug 2018

                    Google giving more privacy to user, hmmmmmmmm

                      • D
                      • AnonD-731363
                      • SH3
                      • 17 Aug 2018

                      LoooooL this sounds funny,

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