Google Comes Up With a New Way to Exploit Gmail
Google+ has been blurring a problematic number of lines lately. Recently, the service was named in violation of a restraining order, and Google announced that soon it would be possible for Google+ users to place e-mails in other users’ inboxes without their e-mail address.
As the NY Daily News reports, Tom Gagnon, 32, was arrested in December because Google+ sent his ex-girlfriend a message asking her to “join his circle.” It’s unclear whether that means she was asked to join a specific circle, of which most Google users have many, or if the message was asking her to sign up for the service in general.
Gagnon, whose ex-girlfriend has a no-contact restraining order against him, claims that he did not initiate the invite and that it was an automated message. Another news outlet, Salem News, reported that the message was a result of Google sending messages to “anyone you’ve ever contacted.” In fact, Google+ will not mass-message everyone in your inbox, but it will selectively message contacts in Gmail.
Salem District Court Judge Robert Brennan admitted that he was not sure if what Gagnon alleged about the automated message was possible. Brennan said he would investigate the matter and held Gagnon on $500 bail.
More: Google+ Comes Up With a New Way to Infiltrate the Gmail Inbox