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Link to Specific Content in Gmail  (View post)

Arun [PersonRank 1]

Saturday, November 17, 2007
16 years ago8,056 views

I don't know why nobody is raising a serious privacy issue in the new Gmail upgrade. Spammers should be rejoicing like anything.

The title bar contains the email id of the account, which was not there earlier. Earlier, it just highlighted the current page.

When an unwary Gmail user clicks on a link in a spam, the spammer will know exactly from which mail ID he got the click. He now know people at a mail ID level to target, so as to increase the chances of getting a click.

This feature provides little or no usability advantage for the user. Such costly cosmetic changes can be done away with.

Ionut Alex. Chitu [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

That's inaccurate:

* Gmail uses redirects for external links

* you can't find the title of a referral directly.

Veky [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Besides, they knew it already. Most spammers (AFAIK) use slightly different URLs for different accounts they send spam to, so they can do the reverse match.

Of course, if you click on links in spam, you deserve whatever happens to you as a result. ;-P

lhinde [PersonRank 0]

16 years ago #

Another benefit is that the back button works now.

Ionut Alex. Chitu [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

The previous version also had permalinks for conversations: you had to click on "new window" to see the URL.

Here's the permalink for composing mail: http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=1&view=cm&fs=1

Permalink for a search:
http://mail.google.com/mail?ui=1&search=query&q=testing&view=tl

Tom [PersonRank 0]

16 years ago #

Arun's statement is just wrong: Gmail uses a gateway page if you click on an hyperlink inside of an email, which eliminates the referer information for the clicked website. So clicking on an link in an email will _not_ reveal your Gmail account.

Thomas Dunn [PersonRank 1]

16 years ago #

Oldtimers? Come on now, people. Take the time to choose your words so they do not isolate, alienate or insult some of your readers. Take me, for example: My first computer was a Commodore 64 and I bought it new back in the 80's. If people who were using computers in the 1990's are "oldtimers" I guess that makes me an archaeological artifact. Thanks a lot. Up yours too!

Martijn van der Ven [PersonRank 0]

16 years ago #

If you'd really like to point someone to a send email wouldn't the following URL work out better:
https://mail.google.com/mail/#advanced-search/from=someone%40domain.tld&subset=all&within=1d

Here '%40' stands for the @-symbol.
You could also change 'subset' to 'inbox', but if a mail was lost and you had to point someone to it 'all' seems to be the best pick.
This will return a search on emails coming from your email address.
For the highest chance on finding it, add the subject to the query aswell. Just add &subject= followed by your subject to the URL.

It seems to me that a standard search as shown in the post might not give the best results.

Tony Ruscoe [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

<< Oldtimers? Come on now, people. Take the time to choose your words so they do not isolate, alienate or insult some of your readers. >>

Personally, I'd be flattered to be called an oldtimer:

old-tim·er (ōld'tī'mər)
n. Informal.

1. b. A person with considerable tenure or experience in a given place or activity; a veteran.

From: http://www.answers.com/old-timers

Roger Wilco [PersonRank 0]

16 years ago #

Thomas Dunn is right. Please change your description of "old-timers" to "people-with-no-sense-of-humor."

Ramibotros [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

sry to Thomas, i guess philipp thought ppl who are old enough to have had computers in the 80s were a bit more adult than this..
and I'd like to know how ur 80's computer was effected by email services having permalinks in the address bar. I'm sorry if it hurts ur feelings, but webmail services started spreading in the 90's..

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