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> There’s no way I can delete my Gmail accounts completely as I did with Facebook. First off, it would be a huge security mistake; freeing up my email address f

by tivert 8y ago

> There’s no way I can delete my Gmail accounts completely as I did with Facebook. First off, it would be a huge security mistake; freeing up my email address for someone else to claim is just asking to be hacked. Does Google really free up your email address for re-allocation when you delete your account? I do recall that was in issue at one point with Yahoo Mail. No email provider should allow the reassignment of previously used email addresses for precisely this reason.

kyrra 8y ago
I believe Google never garbage collects deleted @gmail.com usernames. According to [0]: "Your Gmail address can’t be used by anyone else in the future." [0] https://support.google.com/mail/answer/61177?hl=en&topic=2382753&ctx=topic https://support.google.com/mail/answer/61177?hl=en&topic=238...
- puzzle 8y ago
  Security was the main reason why, when I asked years ago.
- xingped 8y ago
  This used to be possible. I know because I once deleted my email and then realized I missed something I needed to transfer, so just re-created my email again to receive that email.
  - kyrra 8y ago
    How long between deleted and re-opening? The support page I linked talks about being able to restore a deleted account within some period of time.
- rgovostes 8y ago
  Maybe this is true today. But as the grandparent pointed out, Yahoo did release unused usernames back in 2013. Who is to say that Google won't decide to do that some day? https://techcrunch.com/2013/08/26/yahoo-releases-recycled-usernames-to-those-who-sent-in-requests-lets-you-stalk-your-own-for-1-99/ https://techcrunch.com/2013/08/26/yahoo-releases-recycled-us...
eeeeeeeeeeeee 8y ago
Yahoo deleted tons of what they perceived to be abandoned accounts and then made them available to the public: https://yahoo.tumblr.com/post/52805929240/yournameyahoocom-can-be-yours https://yahoo.tumblr.com/post/52805929240/yournameyahoocom-c... Seems really crazy considering how email is often the verification for password recovery.
- ggggtez 8y ago
  Yeah, Yahoo is crazy for doing that, but a lot of email provides allowed re-use of email addresses back then. I think that happening today with literally the largest email provider is a stretch. Everyone knows if you allow email re-use, it breaks the most obvious security features for everything on the internet.
newscracker 8y ago
Google doesn't recycle Gmail addresses. For anyone moving to paid email providers thinking they'd be a lot better, there are some paid providers who are very quick to recycle addresses on their domains: Fastmail, Posteo and Mailbox.org recycle email addresses on their domains within a few months, thus increasing the vulnerability of their current customers (where you delete one of the aliases on your account) and past customers. There may be many others too, but these are the ones I know of.

by tivert 8y ago

kyrra 8y ago

I believe Google never garbage collects deleted @gmail.com usernames. According to [0]: "Your Gmail address can’t be used by anyone else in the future." [0] https://support.google.com/mail/answer/61177?hl=en&topic=2382753&ctx=topic https://support.google.com/mail/answer/61177?hl=en&topic=238...

puzzle 8y ago
Security was the main reason why, when I asked years ago.
xingped 8y ago
This used to be possible. I know because I once deleted my email and then realized I missed something I needed to transfer, so just re-created my email again to receive that email.
- kyrra 8y ago
  How long between deleted and re-opening? The support page I linked talks about being able to restore a deleted account within some period of time.
rgovostes 8y ago
Maybe this is true today. But as the grandparent pointed out, Yahoo did release unused usernames back in 2013. Who is to say that Google won't decide to do that some day? https://techcrunch.com/2013/08/26/yahoo-releases-recycled-usernames-to-those-who-sent-in-requests-lets-you-stalk-your-own-for-1-99/ https://techcrunch.com/2013/08/26/yahoo-releases-recycled-us...

eeeeeeeeeeeee 8y ago

Yahoo deleted tons of what they perceived to be abandoned accounts and then made them available to the public: https://yahoo.tumblr.com/post/52805929240/yournameyahoocom-can-be-yours https://yahoo.tumblr.com/post/52805929240/yournameyahoocom-c... Seems really crazy considering how email is often the verification for password recovery.

ggggtez 8y ago
Yeah, Yahoo is crazy for doing that, but a lot of email provides allowed re-use of email addresses back then. I think that happening today with literally the largest email provider is a stretch. Everyone knows if you allow email re-use, it breaks the most obvious security features for everything on the internet.

newscracker 8y ago

Google doesn't recycle Gmail addresses. For anyone moving to paid email providers thinking they'd be a lot better, there are some paid providers who are very quick to recycle addresses on their domains: Fastmail, Posteo and Mailbox.org recycle email addresses on their domains within a few months, thus increasing the vulnerability of their current customers (where you delete one of the aliases on your account) and past customers. There may be many others too, but these are the ones I know of.