Protecting privacy and confidentiality when we send email is essential. However, we lose this power of protection as soon as the message reaches another person, because we do not know what they are going to do with that information. Luckily, the Gmail confidential mode is here to help us.
Do you know this functionality of one of the most important email systems in the world? Whether you know her or not, keep reading, because you are going to learn much more about her and how to get the most out of her.
What is Gmail confidential mode?
This is a mode of use that has been designed to offer users greater control over the emails that we send. When activated, We can establish certain restrictions. This way, the recipient will not be able to forward, copy, download or print the message.
Another of its outstanding characteristics is that It lets us set an expiration date for the message. After the date we have indicated, the content will no longer be accessible.
What is sought with this system is that we have greater control over what What happens to our email messages once we have sent them.
Why use it?
There are many reasons to use this system when sending emails, but here are some of the ones we consider the most important:
Protect sensitive information
We frequently send information by email that is especially sensitive. Like our checking account number or a photo of our ID.
Of course, the last thing we want is for this data to end up in the wrong hands. That's why, If you are going to send messages with this type of information, It is better that you apply Gmail confidential mode.
Control message distribution
You may not send sensitive information or personal data, but you may not want the message you send to be forwarded to someone else or copied and pasted. For example, if it is something of a personal nature.
With this functionality that we are analyzing, You can prevent the recipient from having the ability to forward, copy or download the message.
Ensure information is temporarily available
There is certain information that the recipient of your message only needs to have for a certain amount of time. Afterwards, it is not convenient or necessary for Have an email with certain information in your inbox.
By setting an expiration date, we ensure that at some point that email is no longer accessible. No recipient will be able to open emails that have already reached their expiration date.
Improve security
Gmail confidential mode allows you to establish a verification system to ensure that only authorized people can see the content of the email. In this case, They are asked to enter a verification code that they will receive by SMS.
Protecting email with a password is a very interesting (and unknown to most) way to keep information safe and ensure that only certain people can access the content.
Prevent unauthorized forwarding
By disabling the forwarding option, we end the ability for the recipient to easily share a message that is confidential with others.
Although all of this is very useful, you should keep in mind that this system is not foolproof. If the other party wants to secure access to that content later, or wants to share it, they can still do so. For example, taking a screenshot. However, although it is not a system that guarantees 100% protection (nothing on the Internet is completely safe), it is very practical and worth trying.
Tutorial for you to learn how to use Gmail confidential mode
Let's see step by step how to use this system, which you will see is very simple:
compose your message
Access Gmail with your credentials and start writing the email as normal. Once you have it ready, you can make confidentiality settings.
Activate confidential mode
In the lower right corner of the window you are working in you will see a lock-shaped icon. If you press it, the “Change confidential mode” function is activated.
Configure confidentiality options
When you click on the padlock, a pop-up menu will appear that allows you to configure the confidentiality according to your needs. Can:
- Set an expiration date. Determining how long the message will be available to the recipient before it expires.
- Require an SMS verification code. If you activate this function, the recipient will have to enter the verification code that they will receive on their mobile from Gmail, or they will not be able to open the email.
- Disable the ability to forward, copy, download or print the message. Limits the actions that the recipient can take with the content of the email.
If what you want is to configure the expiration, you can choose a period that includes one day, one week, one month, three months and up to five years.
By choosing this option as well as disabling the possibility of forwarding, copying, downloading or printing, you can determine whether or not identification will be necessary through the password received by SMS.
Send the email
Once the configuration is done, the only thing left is to send the email as you normally do.
Recipient access to message
Once the recipient receives the email, they will see a message that will notify them that it is in confidential mode.
If the message had an expiration date, when it arrives, that email will no longer be accessible to the recipient
Gmail's confidential mode makes available to us different tools and functionalities that will protect our privacy and security of our communications via email. Keep this in mind the next time you are going to send an email with sensitive information or any content that you do not want to end up in the hands of anyone.