{"id":90222,"date":"2018-07-03T15:25:40","date_gmt":"2018-07-03T22:25:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/?p=90222"},"modified":"2025-08-19T08:39:01","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T15:39:01","slug":"gmail-users-private-emails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/security-news\/gmail-users-private-emails\/","title":{"rendered":"Gmail Users: App Developers Can Potentially Read Your Private Emails"},"content":{"rendered":"

Email has been the norm for decades now, as most digitally connected people use it to communicate in both their personal and professional lives. One of the most popular email services out there today is Google\u2019s offering, Gmail, which has 1.4 billion users. Many people use the platform daily, even connecting it to third-party apps \u2013 a feature that may have exposed actually exposed private Gmail messages. Just yesterday, The Wall Street Journal\u00a0reported<\/a> that people who have connected third-party apps to their accounts may have unwittingly given<\/a> external developers permission to read their messages.<\/p>\n

But wait \u2013 how could hundreds of developers just access users\u2019 private inboxes? As a matter of fact, Google allows these developers to scan the inboxes of millions of users per its official policy<\/a>. This policy is outlined when people are asked if they wish to connect their Google account to third-party apps and services. When linking their account to a service, people are asked to grant certain permissions \u2013 which often include the ability to “read, send, delete and manage your email.”<\/p>\n

Now, the developers who have access to users\u2019 Gmail inboxes have been vetted by Google. And to them, this access is the norm. Thede Loder, the former CTO at eDataSource Inc., said that reading user emails has become \u201ccommon practice\u201d for companies that collect this type of data. \u201cSome people might consider that to be a dirty secret\u2026 It\u2019s kind of reality,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n

Tips to Protect Your Emails<\/h2>\n

Though this news may be unsurprising to people like Loder, it\u2019s likely very surprising to others, proving there\u2019s a gap in awareness and understanding of what Gmail users are signing themselves up for. Therefore, if you\u2019re a Gmail user wishing to keep the information exchanged in your emails private, be sure to follow these tips:<\/p>\n