Users of Google’s email service, Gmail, who also have a Google+ account will now be able to receive emails from others who do not have their actual email address, the Internet giant said in a blogpost.
For instance, when users begin typing in the “To:” section of a new email, they will be able to see names of people in their G+ circles as recipients. The option “anyone on Google+” is set by default, so anyone can send emails to Gmail users via G+.
The changes, however, have raised privacy concerns, after similar changes were made with Gmail and Google’s social network Google Buzz in 2010, which led to a discussion over privacy invasion. In turn, Google was bound to a 20-year privacy supervision by the US Federal Trade Commission
Gmail and Google+ integration, however, has an opt-out option, so users are able to change the settings that allow strangers to send them emails. Senders will be unable to see the email address of the person (only the name displayed on Google+) they are emailing to unless the recipient replies to the message.
The new feature is an extension of Google’s previous efforts to integrate Gmail and G+ contacts, says David Nachum, Gmail product manager. Since December 2013, Gmail address books have been updated with information from Google+ accounts of the contacts who use the social network, he says.
According to Nachum, the aim is not to give spammers an easy way to people’s inboxes, as many assume, rather Google is willing to make it easy for Google+ users to communicate with each other.