That innocuous pairing between your GMail account and your Google+ account is about to get a whole lot less innocuous. A new update to GMail will give people you don't know the ability to send you e-mails to your GMail address without you ever giving them your e-mail address. Luckily for the security and spam conscious, there seems to be a way to opt out of this new feature.
The new service will be going out today according to a post on the Official GMail Blog. These messages from strangers will arrive in your GMail account inbox just like any other bit of mail from people you know. "Your email address isn't visible to a Google+ connection unless you send that person an email, and likewise, that person's email address isn't visible to you unless they send you an email," the company explained in an e-mail to its users.
If you want to opt out of having your inbox get flooded with e-mails from random people who visit your Google+ account, the site is offering a simple way to opt out.
In order to do this, you'll have the option to limit who can e-mail you through your Google+ profile to "extended circles," "circles" or "no one," according to the Huffington Post.
Google has said it will e-mail people a direct link to that setting option as soon as the changes go into effect. Right now it can be found on your Google+ page in the settings area or HERE via the GMail settings.
According to PCWorld, the goal of this new feature is to make it easier for Google+ users to communicate via GMail. Google says the feature will be rolling out to all users over the course of the next few days. Google has been pushing integration of Google+ into other aspects of people's online experience for quite some time now including GMail, Blogger, Apps, YouTube and many others.
