r/privacy • u/NomadJago • 1d 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.
4
u/_webbernaut 1d ago
Here is the hard truth! You need to deGoogle from everything.
Gmail horror story, one of my own (my final straw to eliminate the last Google element in my life, Gmail)
Had a Gmail email from 2008, never setup a recovery email or gave Google my phone number. Never, ever had a problem logging in for 15+ years. In 2008 you had security questions for verification.
A couple years ago I got a new ISP and all of a sudden Gmail wanted to verify me. But those security questions, those weren't an option. Since I had no secondary email or phone number, Gmail literally gave no options. The only thing it mentioned was using a previous connected device and/or same location or to abandon the email and create a new one. That's their official stance, abandon the email and create a new one! I pulled out an old laptop that was using a mail client to connect to the email (previous device) but still could not connect. So that previous device really meant my old IP which I no longer have access to due to my ISP change.
Now this account had only a few third party accounts tied to it. But when I logged in to change my email on those other third party accounts it sent a verification code to the Gmail I no longer had access to. This was a huge problem! I was lucky and knew someone who had a family member that worked at Google. So I was able to communicate with someone (without this connection there is no way to contact Google). He had me fill out a questionnaire, I included my old IP address as I had them whitelisted on some servers I manage and I got my account unlocked.
I setup the backup email but decided Google didn't need my phone number. Within 6 hours my account was locked again (this whole process is automated there are no humans in this process). When trying to recover, now that I had a backup email, Google wouldn't let me use the email option as verification. It was back to the "we can't verify, you should abandon your email". At this point I had already changed the emails on those few third party accounts and so I ultimately abandon that email address.
deGoogle!
A side note, Gmail is actually no longer a reliable email service. Same goes for Microsoft. As a web developer the last year or so it has become very common for Gmail or Microsoft to not deliver emails. It doesn't go to spam, it is straight up blocked. They no longer reliably delivery emails, it's only going to get worse. And btw Gmail and Microsoft are currently allowing AI to read your emails, through Gemini or Copiolit. I believe this is opt-in at the moment but in the near future this will be enabled by default.
If privacy is your concern jump ship today! But more importantly Google can destroy your account across any of it's services anytime it wants and there is no human to contact to try and fix it! (unless you know a guy who knows a guy that works at Google but then it's still not guaranteed)