Gmail's new feature creates issues - Expressen

Soon, Gmail users to send messages directly to other accounts – even if they are not disclosing their email addresses.

Google now receives criticism of safety advocates who argue that users now can be approached by strangers, and call it a security flaw.

Gmail users will soon be able to send emails to their contacts on Google + and not only those contacts whose email address they know.

Google wrote in a blog post that it has been done to make it easier for users to keep in touch via e-mail.

“An echo from Google Buzz chaos”

But the new feature has been criticized.

Marc Rotenberg at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) calls the new function problematic, according BBC.

– There is a strong echo from Google Buzz chaos, he told the BBC, referring to an early version of Google’s social network, as early made a list of email addresses completely open online.

With the new feature, Gmail users will see a list of their contacts on Google + when they start typing the name of a contact in the “To” line of a message, even if they do not know the email address of the person they trying to contact has.

Possible to opt out

Google wrote about the new feature in a post on company’s blog yesterday.

Users have the ability to opt out and can choose to only allow people within a “circle” to contact them.

Google product manager David Nachum wrote in yesterday’s blog post that all users will be informed about how to change the new setting the next few days.