If you think your inbox is crammed now, just wait until Google rolls out a new feature that will allow any Google+ user to e-mail another Google+ user.
Google is further integrating its Google+ social network service with its Gmail service by allowing users to send each other messages even if they don’t know the other user’s email address. But instead of maintaining the default setting that would prevent you from being emailed by those that don’t have your address, Google will require you to opt-out of receiving messages from all Google+ users. The feature will go live in at a later time after the setting to opt-out is made available, according to The Verge, and will email Gmail users to inform them of the change when the setting does go live.
Here’s what you need to do to opt-out of receiving e-mails from random strangers on Google+:
- Login to your Gmail account.
- Click on the gear icon in the top-right corner and click on settings.
- Scroll down to Email via Google+ and select “no one” from the scroll bar. Or you can choose another option.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Save” for the setting to take effect.
The move by Google is reminiscent of other privacy flubs by the web giant. In 2010, Google launched Google Buzz, a social service integrated into Gmail that automatically followed your list of contacts and made that list public, even though it had been private information until that point. Canada’s Privacy Commissioner and the privacy watchdogs of nine other countries responded at the time by sending an open letter to Google chairman Eric Schmidt to denounce Google’s disregard for privacy.
Google has been integrating its many web services into Google+, making the social network a central hub that ties its free tools together. For example, new users to Youtube must now also register for Google+ and Google+ is used as the commenting mechanism on the user-generated video site.
Google+ Pages also serve as the new local listings service for businesses.