Wednesday, April 01, 2009

April Fool! You've got mail

Leave it to Google to show that, unlike the rest of the U.S. economy, a company can be gigantic and still have some fun. I was checking my Gmail account this morning and there, flashing in the upper bar, was a message to Try the new email autopilot. Well, maybe a good idea? If Google thinks so, let's have a look.

Here's the click: http://mail.google.com/mail/help/autopilot/index.html

Pretty serious until I looked at the first example and there Prince Joe Eboh was offering a lot of money and there the autopilot response was to send one's SSN and mother's maiden name.

2 comments:

Vox Populi said...

hey larry ! good eye.
I have noticed google doing some very threatening things. Won't go into it at this time.
When you are asked for security questions (i keep meaning to blog this) many people might naturally come up with the most outlandish thing in thinking that it's a big secret. Thereby exposing a huge nugget of info about themselves to those who mine for data and then use the info to inveigle their way into a person's life (ie myspace OH we have SO MUCH IN COMMON not really ..the sinister party just knows a lot about you because of data mining)
Anyway... I noticed at a large govt website okay let's call it SALLIE MAE when I was helping a family member with their student loans??? when THEY ask security questions and require you to answer THREE of these very odd details (i have a jpeg of it somewhere) I noted that this was information that while not precisely unusual would feed facts about you (govt no less) So I started answering 'none' to each question.
Still works and also covers your being able to get your info again.
Don't care who knows it and/or who I just revealed this to.
If the sinister baddies want in your stuff bad enough they just get their cop/fdle/fbi buddies or those down at the firehouse to track you around.
So .. be careful what you put in these so-called 'security' questions.
I'm posting this here because it more or less fits your subject and because I figure you and I are on the same page in some respects given that you 'get' what domino boy is up to.
Take care.

Luis C. Isaza E said...

Sorry if this is unrelated to the suvject. But, should we expect the DEC website to be "current" or is it just to unrealistic to think so?

Comments, please......