Do you want strangers emailing you? Google says you do!

Did anyone get an email in the last few days from Google's Gmail team?  Did it have the subject

"Gmail update: Reach more people you know"

Want to know what it means?  Well, Google have just introduced a new Gmail feature – the ability to send email to Google+ users whose email address you don't actually know. You'll notice this when you compose new emails as Gmail will start to suggest Google+ connections as recipients without revealing their email addresses to you until the recipient either replies to your email or follows you.

While some Gmail users may find this feature useful, others may see it as a threat to their privacy - but what you may not realise is that Google has already switched this feature on in your account without telling you.  This means, right now, your Google+ identity could be being suggested as an email recipient on someone's latest get-rich-quick scam email.

Fortunately Google have provided a way to control how visible your Google+ identity is to strangers and you can therefore control who can use your Google+ identity to send you email.


Here's how to access this control:-

• Go to Gmail on your desktop (not on your smartphone).
• Click the gear in the top right of your screen.

• Select Settings.
• Scroll down to the Email via Google+ section (stay in the "General" tab).
• Click the drop-down menu and choose No one.

• Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

This will stop your Google+ identity being suggested to others who don't already know you.

As usual, let me know what you think by commenting below.