Google+ users can now e-mail you without knowing your address

[Shawn Knight]

Google has added a new feature to its social network that will allow users to e-mail any of their Google+ contacts and vice versa without actually knowing their e-mail address. Specifically, members can opt to receive correspondence from those in their circles, extended circles, anyone on Google+ or choose not to participate at all.

Google+ users have been able to send messages to each other via hangouts for quite some time now but this is different as messages will be sent via e-mail to the recipient’s Gmail account. Gmail users will see a notice alongside e-mails that originate from Google+, the company said in a blog post on the matter.

To use the service, simply start typing the name of a recipient into the “To” field when composing a new message. The user’s accompanying Google+ profile image will also show up alongside their name if they have the feature enabled on their end.

It’s worth pointing out that individuals who opt-in to receive correspondence won’t be offering up their e-mail address. The only way a sender will see your e-mail address is if you decide to reply to their original message. Conversely, the opposite is true for anyone sending a message as their e-mail address will be visible to the recipient from the get-go.

Users that receive a message from someone outside of their circle will see said e-mail show up in their Gmail “social” folder instead of the primary folder.

Google said the feature is being rolled out over the coming days. Users will receive an e-mail when the option is available to them.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/55281-google-users-can-now-e-mail-you-without-knowing-your-address.html

 

[NTAPRO]

Alternate way of stalking people without facebook?

 

[Guest]

Privacy means Jack Sh*t to this insidious corporation!

 

[lipe123]

Privacy means Jack Sh*t to this insidious corporation!

#1 When you sign up for a public email and google+ account you are not trying to be private
#2 You can choose who can contact you: friends, friends of friends, nobody

Read before you drivel some privacy nonsense please.

 

[cliffordcooley]

#1 When you sign up for a public email and google+ account you are not trying to be private
#2 You can choose who can contact you: friends, friends of friends, nobody

Read before you drivel some privacy nonsense please.

I just logged into google+ and was looking around the settings page. The only settings I see for selecting who can, is for notifications. There was no settings for who can send an Email directly to you. People emailing you is not the same thing as notifications.

 

[matrix86]

I just logged into google+ and was looking around the settings page. The only settings I see for selecting who can, is for notifications. There was no settings for who can send an Email directly to you. People emailing you is not the same thing as notifications.

Ahem...from the last line in the article:
"Google said the feature is being rolled out over the coming days. Users will receive an e-mail when the option is available to them."

Reading...it does wonders, my friend.

 

[yorro]

Privacy means Jack Sh*t to this insidious corporation!

"Specifically, members can OPT to receive correspondence from those in their circles, extended circles, anyone on Google+ or choose not to participate at all."

"Users will receive an e-mail when the OPTION is available to them."

 

[wujj123456]

Given all these stuff, why not just cancel your GG+ account? It's mostly a ghosttown anyway, right?

 

[cliffordcooley]

Good luck with that, the account is tied to all of Google services. Same thing for Microsoft, their account is tied to everyone of their services. You would have to stop using any of their services before you could close the account. I don't use their services, but once upon a time I used both Google and Microsoft for some BS reason and now I have an user account with both companies. I might as well keep them, who knows when I will want to use them again.

 

[wujj123456]

Good luck with that, the account is tied to all of Google services. Same thing for Microsoft, their account is tied to everyone of their services. You would have to stop using any of their services before you could close the account. I don't use their services, but once upon a time I used both Google and Microsoft for some BS reason and now I have an user account with both companies. I might as well keep them, who knows when I will want to use them again.

I actually already did that last time they messed with Youtube stuff. It's possible and better than I expected. You will be left with a Gmail/Google account without Google+ profile, just as if you've never joined Google+. So you won't be able to comment on Youtube/Google Play. Hangout falls back to Gtalk interface (but you can still do video chat). Public profiles and your circles are gone, but your contacts are still there. Calendars, google drive, Google Play are still there.

I am sure it will get worse overtime given how dedicated Google is to push GG+. For now, it seems OK, just that Google will keep grepping my emails.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Ahh, so it was the profile you cleared?

 

[wujj123456]

Ahh, so it was the profile you cleared?

It's called "Disable my Google+ account" if I remembered correctly. I think I launched it from my phone, and clicked quite a few confirmations. It indeed kills the entire social network part of my Google account (which I believe most people don't use anyway). That's why I said GG+ account, not Google account in my first post.