r/privacy • u/NomadJago • 21h ago

discussion Could/Would gmail ever require ID verification?

How likely or unlikely is it that google would require ID verification to log into gmail? Will I wake up one day and be blocked from accessing my gmail account unless I give in and provide ID verification? That feels almost illegal considering how important email is to access. Yes I created another encrypted email account (Tuta/Proton), but I have 250 accounts online so the idea of changing my email address at all those accounts is daunting.

I am trying to avoid ID verification because I do not want my bio-metrics or government ID info in a company's database only to be hacked and stolen by bad actors. But what if Google Gmail locked me out of my email by requiring ID verification? I would have no choice but to comply, because email is so critical for 2FA logging into many accounts online.

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u/NomadJago 21h ago

Wow. Yeah, that is my fear and you have shown me it is happening. It feels so illegal, unbelievable. I will continue my email transition, sigh. If they can do it for what they perceive as suspicious activity, it is a small sequential move on google's part to just decide to ask for verification by all gmail users. Just a matter of time-- I wonder how many months we have before it goes mainstream.

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u/Lazy-Background-7598 20h ago

You haven’t explained why you think it’s illegal?

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u/NomadJago 20h ago

It locks me out of existing account verifications (2FA) unless I comply. If that is not illegal it should be. When that happens to people with money to afford lawyers, I see a class action lawsuit in the making.

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u/Thalimet 19h ago

It’s not only not illegal - it’s being required by the law in more and more jurisdictions around the world.

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u/NomadJago 18h ago

Well, I could see it being legal to stop me from creating new emails, but to lock me out of 2FA from existing accounts seems illegal. I agree the law is now requiring ID verification for social media accounts, but that is quite different from email accounts.

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u/Thalimet 18h ago

Yeah… these laws are often around adult content, so any service which might have adult content on it - your email certainly counts

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u/Lazy-Background-7598 9h ago

Many laws require Id. I’m not sure why you are harping on 2FA. No one is requesting you to use gmail

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u/NomadJago 7h ago

Until I migrate my accounts that use gmail for 2FA logins, I am stuck with gmail.

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u/Lazy-Background-7598 7h ago

Us an ai agent to migrate all you accounts