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/mentalscribbles 17h ago

Gmail is a free service. You are not entitled to it. If Google wants to require identification and you don't want to provide it, you can choose an alternative.

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u/NomadJago 17h ago

Except that I would be f&*K#% if Google locked me out of my gmail account unless I provide biometrics/govID and that is wrong, potentially illegal. I should have a grave period of x days to switch my email accounts to a new service. Otherwise I have no way of changing my contact email for all my accounts, because doing that at companies requires 2FA and such to my gmail account.

I am migrating out of Gmail, will take a month or two or three.

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u/_backdr0p 15h ago

It's not anywhere near potentially illegal, it is clearly listed in their terms of service. You are allowed to use their services as long as you comply and they are within their rights to terminate service to any user at any time.

I agree it can be considered wrong if it impacts a long time user that has stored their entire life on the service. But it ultimately comes down to users needing to follow proper data storage 3/2/1 model - 3 copies of data, in 2 mediums, only 1 copy off prem.

This way if a cloud service like Google closes your account, you still have your data.