Last week, Google users look on in horror as we shared the story of Dylan, a man who was a huge fan of Google’s Web services until he was suddenly locked out of his account with no warning or explanation. His Twitter campaign had the intended effect, getting the attention of a senior VP at Google who fast-tracked an appeal and got Dylan an explanation and his account access back. So what really happened? [More]
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Google Deletes Last 7 Years Of User's Digital Life, Shrugs
By 7.22.11
Something happened to Dylan’s Google account, and it’s been disabled. He doesn’t know what happened to the account, and no one at Google with the power to help him is interested in acknowledging the problem or letting him back in to the cloud-based services where all of his correspondence and much of the digital trail from the last few years of his life is stored. Google doesn’t own Twitter, though (yet), and he has taken to Twitter to try to draw attention to his problem and urge anyone who will listen not to trust Google with their digital lives. [More]
Google Mistakenly Resets An Estimated 150,000 Gmail Accounts
By 2.28.11
Gmail users can usually take comfort in knowing important documents they send to others are safe and accessible in their mail archives, but as many as 150,000 Gmail users lost all their stuff because their accounts got unwanted fresh starts Sunday morning. [More]
Google Doubles Down On Gmail Security
By 2.11.11
Feeling a bit insecure, Google set up a moat, an attack dog and alarm system for Gmail. Well, sorta. It added an optional (for now) two-step verification process to sign in, decreasing the likelihood that a hacker will be able to take your account out on a joyride. [More]
Facebook Announces 'Gmail Killer' Messaging Service
By 11.15.10
Even though more and more people have been using their Facebook accounts to send e-mails to their friends and family, apparently that’s not enough for the site’s head honcho Mark Zuckerberg. Earlier today, the youngster announced a new e-mailing service that he says is the next step in messaging. [More]
Help! My Gmail Account Was Hacked! How Do I Clean This Up?
By 10.12.10
Reader Lisa would like to ask the Consumerist hive mind for advice on cleaning up her recently hacked Gmail account. Here’s her story: [More]
How To Block Specific @holes From Emailing You
By 9.8.10
If there’s a special someone who makes your stomach churn when you see a new email from him pop up in your inbox, you’re probably looking for a way to stop him from harassing you. [More]
Transfer Calls To Your Gmail Chat To Save Minutes
By 8.26.10
One cool way to use the new Google Voice integrated with Gmail is to transfer cellphone calls to your computer and save on minutes. [More]
Call Phones For Free Through Gmail
By 8.25.10
Gmail is rolling out a new service that will let you call phones in the US and Canada for free right from your email. [More]
Southwest Sent My Flight Confirmation To Someone, But It Wasn't Me
By 5.13.10
If you like to use a plus sign to create unique addresses in Gmail or another mail system for filtering, spam tracking, or other purposes, don’t try it with Southwest Airlines. Instead of returning an error, Southwest will simply fling your message into the ether, never to be heard from again. [More]
Hey Google, Hows About An Auto-Harass Button For Gmail?
By 3.23.10
Morten Just complains that Gmail doesn’t have a feature that lets you resend messages to those who haven’t responded to you within a week. [More]
Google Wants To Be Facebook, Facebook Wants To Be Gmail
By 2.8.10
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google has plans to make Gmail “more social,” according to an anonymous source. The idea is to make it easier to post links and share status updates. Meanwhile, Facebook is apparently planning a “Gmail killer.” [More]
My Gmail Pulled A Vanishing Act — What Do I Do?
By 1.27.10
Will says his Gmail account disappeared on him, wiping out nearly a decade of email memories. [More]
Gmail Account Shut Down For Receiving Errant Bank Spreadsheet
By 9.26.09
The judicial system has spoken in the case of the spreadsheet full of personal data accidentally e-mailed to a random Gmail user by an employee of Rocky Mountain Bank. Google must reveal the account holder’s identity, and the account has been deactivated.
Get Your Data Out Of Google
By 9.24.09
If you’re like the average Google user, you’ve now got a lot of personal data—emails, addresses, calendars, documents, photos and videos, maybe even health records—in their system. This is fine with them, because the Google Hive Mind needs all of this data to eventually become self aware and enslave us. However, if you ever want to get that information out of Google, the company has created something they call the Data Liberation Front to make it easier for you.
By 8.5.09
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Apparently, if you put in a “tragedy” word for every 167 words in your email message, Gmail’s servers won’t display ads out of some robotic simulacrum of empathy. You’ll also freak out or depress your friends, but hey, no ads! [BoingBoing] (Photo: solidariat)
Warning, iDrive Lite Spams All Your Gmail Contacts Without Your Permission
By 7.9.09
Don’t install the iPhone app iDrive Lite if you value the privacy of your contact list. Avi Muchnick, one of the developers behind the free, consumer-friendly online graphics suite Aviary, used iDrive to backup his Gmail contact list when switching to a new phone. The next day, he awoke to discover that iDrive’s parent company, Pro Softnet Corp, had spammed every single entry in his contact list without his permission.
Facebook, Where Are You Getting These Crazy Friend Suggestions From?
By 6.23.09
This morning, I woke up to find an inbox full of readers freaked out about Facebook friend suggestions. What’s the big deal about that? Privacy-minded Facebook users can’t figure out where these suggestions are coming from, and aren’t happy with the possibilities.
