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Developers spying on your Gmail? Here’s how to disconnect third party apps from your Google account
We recently told you about reports that Google is allowing software developers to read private messages of Gmail users.
According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Gmail users who have previously signed up for email-based services like shopping price comparisons and automated travel-itinerary planners are at the highest risk of having their private emails read.
The report also claims that there are hundreds of app developers scanning inboxes of users who signed up for some of these programs. Google does have a vetting process for app developers and it only accepts those with a strong privacy agreement.
The problem is, it’s unclear if the app developers are sticking by those agreements. Furthermore, we don’t know what Google is doing, if anything, to ensure the app developers are adhering to the privacy agreements.
If you’re worried about which apps have access to your Google account, then here’s how to remove their access and block them from your Google account.
How to review and remove your Google apps
1. Go to your Google “My Account” page by clicking on the circle with your initial in the upper-right corner of the page. Then click on “Google Account.”
2. Next, click on Sign-in & Security.
3. On the left pane, select “Apps with account access” (or scroll down until you see the same section.)
4. In this section, you’ll see all the apps you’ve given access to your Google account.
5. To remove an app’s access, click on “MANAGE APPS.”
6. Click on the app you want to remove then simply select “REMOVE ACCESS.” And that’s that.
Note that there are three types of apps on your Google account:
Google apps – These apps are relatively safe since they’re from Google. Expect Google services like Chrome, Drive and Docs in this section.
Signing in with Google – These are the various third-party services and apps you’ve used your Google account to sign in with. Although convenient since it saves you from creating another username and password, using this option may give the app or service access to your name, email and other information. If you don’t trust a particular service, remove their access immediately.
Third-party apps with account access – These are the apps you’ve granted permissions to access your Google account. Depending on the permissions, these apps may have your basic information, read and write access to your Google services and even full account access! Please review each app and permissions in this section carefully!
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Tags: accounts, apps, email, emails, free, Gmail, Google, Google apps, Google Chrome, messages, password managers, passwords, permissions, privacy, programs, report, risk, scanning, security, service, services, shopping, software, spying, third-party apps, travel, username, users
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