Google helps users see who is poking around in their Gmail
Did you know that when you access Gmail on a computer, then wander off, that session may still be accessible even if you thought you logged out? Yeah, I didn’t know that either. Thanks Google! Do you have any idea how many computers I use for my work when I go to a client office for an in-person session? That’s right, many.
Google is not having a time of good publicity right now, with this following fast on the heels of the major loss in the YouTube vs Viacam lawsuit and other recent Google news. Luckily Google listed a way to close remote sessions along with their bombshell news that these remote session were even open. That might give them an edge in saving some face on this one.
The innocuous name of this useful feature is “tracking open sessions”. If you are like me, and you think you log out, but rarely remember to check to be sure, you could be leaving access to your account open on that computer indefinitely. Creepy to contemplate, though my Gmail is a spare email for me and not my main one, it still would offer people a window to part of my life I wouldn’t want them to have.
To track the open sessions on your Gmail account, first click Details. This is a little link found in the footer of your Gmail. Concurrent Session Information is a category that shows up toward the top of the table. this is your open session list.
In typical google style, the list isn’t a quick peek, it is a comprehensive look at IP addresses and how the mail was retrieved (through a web browser, a mobile device, a desktop application, etc). Recent Activity shows your most current activity. Google even shows your own IP address so you can compare it to the others listed.
This feature may not show up right away in your Gmail account. It is listed as “coming” in the next Gmail release. So how do you handle remote open sessions once the feature shows up for you in your Gmail account? Simple; just click “Sign out of all open sessions” from the details table. That should help ease your mind, especially if you are as absentminded and busy as I am.
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July 9th, 2008
I can’t find the Detail link anywhere in my gmail.
Can you point us to where it is more precisely.
Thank you
July 9th, 2008
I can’t find that Details link anywhere in my Gmail. Could you point us more precisely where it is?
Thank you