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Javascript is obviously not required for Google Mail to work. Browsers that do not support Javascript work just fine. If we adjust the user-agent string to mat

by 3xblah 7y ago

Javascript is obviously not required for Google Mail to work. Browsers that do not support Javascript work just fine. If we adjust the user-agent string to match a "supported browser" there is no need to change any Google settings. See https://support.google.com/mail/answer/15049 https://support.google.com/mail/answer/15049 What is happening here is Google is only requiring Javascript to be turned on when the user signs in so Google (or its partners) can uniquely track users, even when users have indicated they do not want to be tracked, such as using session-only cookies, clearing stored cookies after signing out, enabling the DNT header, etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Device_fingerprint https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Device_fingerprint

wayneftw 7y ago
You never needed Javascript to access your @gmail anyway. Just use a dedicated mail client. Thunderbird, Outlook, Mail.app or any number of others... I don't sign into any Google services in my web browser. If I need to sign in with Google, I use incognito or a separate browser profile if it's constantly necessary for some set of tasks. They're still probably tracking me, but I don't care as much about that as I do about not getting locked into any one platform. The only Google service I'm really hooked on is their search but I'll switch away from that the second that it becomes unbearable to use. I've done stints on DDG and I'll be perfectly happy using that whenever Google search really starts going south.
brunoTbear 7y ago
This is not necessarily about uniquely tracking users. This is likely about telling automation from manual traffic to login. Credential stuffing is a large enough problem for account takeover and the cost to a user of losing their gmail account so high that at some point a team has to make tradeoffs about what can and cannot be used to log in. edit: am Googler, not working on this area. Have background in account takeover/browser fingerprinting.
- parthdesai 7y ago
  You say that, but my friend's google drive account is basically locked because of "spam/take over detection" and there's no response from google's customer support. Does google really care about end user here?
vortico 7y ago
This sign-in issue isn't about Gmail. Browsers that are not "approved" by Google are blocked from signing into Google, period. That means you can't use a grassroots browser to access Gmail, Youtube, Google Docs, Google Drive, and anything using Google's sign-in after today.
3xblah 7y ago
The new domain needed to log in is ssl.gstatic.com (not a new domain but a new requirement) As if there were not already enough domains (and redirects) required... just to log in

by 3xblah 7y ago

wayneftw 7y ago

You never needed Javascript to access your @gmail anyway. Just use a dedicated mail client. Thunderbird, Outlook, Mail.app or any number of others... I don't sign into any Google services in my web browser. If I need to sign in with Google, I use incognito or a separate browser profile if it's constantly necessary for some set of tasks. They're still probably tracking me, but I don't care as much about that as I do about not getting locked into any one platform. The only Google service I'm really hooked on is their search but I'll switch away from that the second that it becomes unbearable to use. I've done stints on DDG and I'll be perfectly happy using that whenever Google search really starts going south.

brunoTbear 7y ago

This is not necessarily about uniquely tracking users. This is likely about telling automation from manual traffic to login. Credential stuffing is a large enough problem for account takeover and the cost to a user of losing their gmail account so high that at some point a team has to make tradeoffs about what can and cannot be used to log in. edit: am Googler, not working on this area. Have background in account takeover/browser fingerprinting.

parthdesai 7y ago
You say that, but my friend's google drive account is basically locked because of "spam/take over detection" and there's no response from google's customer support. Does google really care about end user here?

vortico 7y ago

This sign-in issue isn't about Gmail. Browsers that are not "approved" by Google are blocked from signing into Google, period. That means you can't use a grassroots browser to access Gmail, Youtube, Google Docs, Google Drive, and anything using Google's sign-in after today.

3xblah 7y ago

The new domain needed to log in is ssl.gstatic.com (not a new domain but a new requirement) As if there were not already enough domains (and redirects) required... just to log in