Even though users can set an expiration date for emails, the EFF said that Google can still access the message data.
The new Gmail Confidential Mode, released
earlier this year, could be creating expectations around email security and privacy that it can't meet, according to a
new post from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).
While the EFF notes that many of the features "sound promising," the features also have hidden downsides. For those unfamiliar, Confidential Mode in Gmail allows users to send emails with an expiration date for when they will self-destruct, while also giving them the power to set an SMS code to open the email. It also has additional features for restructuring how the recipient can interact with the sent email.
The EFF's first contention is with the fact that, it said, Gmail Confidential Mode emails aren't end-to-end encrypted. According to the post, this means that "Google can see the contents of your messages and has the technical capability to store them indefinitely, regardless of any 'expiration date' you set. In other words, Confidential Mode provides zero confidentiality with regard to Google."
