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| Gmail App |
Confidential Mode, one of GMail's key feature since its redesign earlier this year, is now made available for both Android and iOS mobile users. Its main purpose is to put additional protection on sensitive emails users can send out (as the name implies) from unauthorized access. However, it is not perfect as you seem it is.
Once activated inside the GMail app, recipients cannot forward, copy, print, or download the 'confidential' email as per the sender's discretion. Senders also can put a time limit on which the recipient can have access to the email.
| Source |
It may seem perfectly safe to use the Confidential Mode. Sadly, it is not. Yes, it adds security to the sensitive data users can send out but recipients can also bypass this security in a very simple way -- via screenshot.
"Although confidential mode helps prevent the recipients from accidentally sharing your email, it doesn't prevent recipients from taking screenshots or photos of your messages or attachments. Recipients who have malicious programs on their computer may still be able to copy or download your messages or attachments. This feature isn't available for G Suite customers at this time." - Google
In addition to this flaw, this mode has no end-to-end encryption, criticized by a digital user privacy organization Electronic Frontier Foundation. To put it simply, Google can, in fact, read your emails if they wanted to. This is surely a big NO to users who does not want Google to access their private emails.
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| Gmail 'Confidential Mode' Source |
Through all these imperfections of the 'Confidential' Mode, little security improvements can still lead Google in the right track to better future security. How little it may be, any improvement surely is a good thing for consumers' security.
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