Gmail gone public ( off front MG page )

DavidGP · Aug 27, 2005

If you didnt know or have read the MG front page Gmail has gone public... well to a point it has, you at present need a mobile phone to get a invite code, only available to US citizens at present so if your not in that country then you'll have to wait a while.

You need to receive and enter a special invitation code in order to create an account. Currently, we are only sending these codes as text messages to US mobile phones. So you will need to have a mobile phone with text message capabilities (most phones have this) and the invitation code itself.
One of the reasons we are offering this new way to sign up for Gmail is to help protect our users and combat abuse. Spam and abuse protection are two things we take very seriously, and our users have been very happy with the small amount of spam they've received in their Gmail accounts. We take many measures to ensure that spammers have a difficult time sending their spam messages, getting these messages delivered, or even obtaining a Gmail account (spammers will often use many different accounts to send spam). Sending invitation codes to mobile phones via SMS is one way to address this, as the number of accounts per phone number can be limited.

If you want to open an account a different way, you may want to ask a friend with a mobile phone to receive an invitation code for you or to ask someone you know who already has a Gmail account to email you an invitation.
Click to expand...

https://www.google.com/accounts/SmsMailSignup1

now onto why I posted this in lounge rather than interesting links ( just in case anyone thinks I'm thick, stupid, deranged or doent know what area to post things in )........ I have to wonder rather than the combat of spam aspect of getting a registration code vis SMS, Google will be getting a massive mobile phone number database as well, I wonder what they will do with that in the near future?
*curious*

Opinions, thoughts etc ?

goldfish · Aug 27, 2005

This link might answer some questions:
http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?ctx=mobile&answer=22250

In accordance with the Gmail Privacy Policy, your number will never be sold or shared for marketing purposes without your permission, nor will we contact you using this number without your express permission. You can remove your phone number at any time by editing your Google account profile.
Click to expand...

The privacy policy is here: http://mail.google.com/mail/help/privacy.html

goldfish · Aug 27, 2005

Well, you say that but in their privacy policy it says that data that you have removed from their database may still be stored for "backup purposes".

I also would like to think that Google is more honorable than the average company that collects information like that, but we really can't really speculate.

goldfish · Aug 27, 2005

Well, why would anyone need deleted information for backup purposes? Isn't that the whole point of backup?

theefool · Aug 27, 2005

When I was stationed in Japan for two years, I use to get spam emails on my cell phone. Though, I had no clue what any of it said.

Log in or Sign up

Gmail gone public ( off front MG page )

DavidGP MajorGeeks Forum Administrator - Grand Pooh-Bah Staff Member

goldfish Lt. Sushi.DC

goldfish Lt. Sushi.DC

goldfish Lt. Sushi.DC

theefool Geekified