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Gmail Reveals the Names of All Users

Posted by samzenpus on from the not-so-anonymous-now dept.

ihatespam writes "Have you ever wanted to know the name of admin@gmail.com? Now you can. Through a bug in Google calendars the names of all registered Gmail accounts are now readily available. All you need to find out the names of any gmail address is a Google calendar account yourself. Depending on your view this ranges from a harmless "feature" to a rather serious privacy violation. According to some reports, spammers are already exploiting this "feature"/bug to send personalized spam messages."

27 of 438 comments (clear)

  1. Re:This only punishes the foolish by QuantumG · · Score: 4, Funny

    This bug really doesn't affect me as my email address is my real name.

    --
    How we know is more important than what we know.
  2. Re:This only punishes the foolish by thedullroar · · Score: 4, Funny

    oh noes! they can figure out my real name just by using google calendar and my email address (first.last@gmail.com)!?

    --
    Didn't your mother teach you not to do things you would be ashamed to see on the evening news?
  3. D'Oh by Atari400 · · Score: 5, Funny

    chunkylover53 is going to be most displeased.

    --
    IBM doesn't play chess with the Universe.
    1. Re:D'Oh by ChowRiit · · Score: 5, Funny

      Fortunately for Homer Simpson, that's @aol.com

    2. Re:D'Oh by rice_web · · Score: 4, Funny

      Surely that's the first time it's been fortunate to be on AOL.

      --
      The Political Programmer
  4. Re:This only punishes the foolish by Shados · · Score: 4, Funny

    ahah! But now the spammers KNOW FOR SURE that there isn't an underscore/dash/whatever between your first and last name! You're so screwed!

  5. I can't believe Google would do this! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Really, now everyone will know my name is John Smith? I am outraged and will see my lawyer immediately!

    -- john.smith@gmail.com

  6. Re:This only punishes the foolish by nbannerman · · Score: 5, Funny

    Someone should get an ass-kicking for this.

    Agreed. I'll certainly be asking for my money back...

  7. Just how personal is this new spam by Pollardito · · Score: 4, Funny

    Does this mean they're only sending spam to people who really need Cialis?

    1. Re:Just how personal is this new spam by c_sd_m · · Score: 5, Funny

      Any chance they could just do a dumb filter and exclude women with obviously female names? I'm really tired of getting spam about enlarging my [non-existent] penis, especially the more explicit ones. It would not 'give my partner more pleasure'.
      At least change the 'your' to 'his'. That might even get you more sales than sending it to the men.

  8. Re:Ouf by game+kid · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...after which exercise balls (in lieu of the usual chair) will be thrown in a fit of unbridled anger (several tech websites will report a mysterious colorful stream of balls spilling out the Google offices).

    --
    You can hold down the "B" button for continuous firing.
  9. Re:This only punishes the foolish by Shados · · Score: 5, Funny

    Then they'll know what part is your first and last name regardless of capitalization! THIS IS HUGE!

  10. Oh that tears it. by aztektum · · Score: 4, Funny

    This is horrible. This is an outrage! I'm writing Google a letter telling them how awful this is an how they need to work on the Q/A. I mean my GMail address *IS* my full name, but I'm not going to let that fact stop me from acting like an emotionally charged idiot!

    --
    :: aztek ::
    No sig for you!!
  11. Re:This only punishes the foolish by Nasajin · · Score: 4, Funny

    What, your parents named you Quantum G?

  12. Bugs are to be expected... by elnico · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's a good thing they caught this in beta, before it affects a large number of people!

  13. Finally Sean Penn will have justice by John+Meacham · · Score: 4, Funny

    http://www.theonion.com/content/node/44460

    --
    http://notanumber.net/
  14. Re:This only punishes the foolish by RevMike · · Score: 5, Funny

    So yeah, this is a pretty big deal -- not so much for spammers, but as a privacy violation. You can't do a name lookup for an arbitrary e-mail address, and you shouldn't be able to do it for a GMail address. Someone should get an ass-kicking for this.

    You know what else... Someone left a thick softcover book on my doorstep the other day that listed the names, addresses, and phone numbers of everyone in my region. Hundreds of thousands of people, maybe millions. I called the police about this, but they seemed unconcerned.

  15. Real info? by pyrote · · Score: 4, Funny

    Really, I wonder how many times people have used bugs like this to steal an identity, only to find that it's all fake info anyhow.

    Personally, every few years, I Re-invent someone... Use a fake(completely fake, not false) identity for everything from Cellphones to gmail.

    I google my real name, nothing, google my 'fake' like 20 pages. My 'fake' identity is WAY more famous than I am... I'm kinda jealous.

    --
    THE WORLD IS GOING TO END!!!! eventually.
  16. Re:This only punishes the foolish by 3vi1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    No, her parents named her Moon Unit. What kind of fucking name would "Quantum G" be?!?!

  17. Re:This only punishes the foolish by ThePengwin · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wait, the Rolexes are fake?!?!

  18. Re:This only punishes the foolish by zamboni1138 · · Score: 4, Funny

    There are two X's in Rolexx.

  19. Re:This only punishes the foolish by aldo.gs · · Score: 5, Funny

    Where 'firstname' and 'lastname' are my actual names.

    Damn! Some nasty name you got there! Perhaps I'll name my son 'firstname' too!

  20. Re:This only punishes the foolish by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh man! So email can be sent to me at the.rapist@gmail.com or therapist@gmail.com?

  21. That's why my gmail address... by rivaldufus · · Score: 4, Funny

    is just my Social Security number.

  22. Re:This only punishes the foolish by antek9 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yes, and using the exploit referred to in the article, your real names will be revealed as Jekyll and Hyde, respectively.

    --
    A World in a Grain of Sand / Heaven in a Wild Flower,
    Infinity in the Palm of your Hand / And Eternity in an Hour.
  23. Re:This only punishes the foolish by jacquesm · · Score: 4, Funny

    mine goes to thirteen...

    --
    MP3 Search Engine
  24. So's mine. by SatanicPuppy · · Score: 4, Funny

    I wondered why all the spam was suddenly titled, "Hey Satanic!" and "Dear Mr. Puppy"

    --
    ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.