Friday March 21
 
15:02
 
Scary Stuff

I realised today that my Gmail account is no longer just an email account, it is slowly becoming a record of my life, every bit as important as a diary or a blog. It records who I’m talking to, what I’m talking about. I can go back to any point in time and see what I was thinking and feeling, from the emails written to and from friends.

I’m very careful about protecting my Gmail password, which is why I wrote QG to allow me to safely read Gmail on a public computer. It may seem paranoid – but this piece from Gizmo highlights just how easy it is for a password to be snatched in ways you wouldn’t expect:

3.2 Malware Disguised as Freeware
Subscribers to this newsletter know I love freeware. They also know that I advise users to only download freeware from trusted sites such as download.com and majorgeeks.com, or from sites recommended by trusted sources. This article, sent to me by regular contributor JW, illustrates some of the dangers. The author downloaded a freeware Gmail accessory only to discover that the program emailed his Gmail username and password to the author. Read the gory details here.

You can see the latest Gizmo newsletter here. It’s pretty good for highlighting useful and free utilities.