Gmail Users Find E-mails Missing

Google Inc.'s free e-mail service is encountering a serious problem where users have been reporting about their data and accounts getting permanently deleted, said the Internet search giant.

This could be damaging to Gmail's integrity on which users have trust. The affected users reported that even when they didn't act on their own all their e-mails got deleted.

A Google representative regretted that a small number of its users, about 60, lost a few or all of their e-mails they received before December 18. After the discovery the company had been working hard to substantiate that only a few accounts were damaged. They then tried to restore as much of the accounts as they could. The company has also extended its apologies to the affected users and promised to restore their e-mails from any personal backup they might have.

The representative added that they were aware of how important Gmail was to users, as Google too uses it for corporate electronic messaging. The company has extensive safeguards employed to protect e-mail stored with Gmail account. It confirmed that it is an insignificant and isolated incident.

Troubled Gmail users have been posting reports and queries to discussion forums on the net complaining of the problem and asking for a resolution. They have been also posting messages on Google's own Groups.

Most of the affected users reported that they were using Firefox 2.0 and when Gmail was open in their browser the deletions occurred.

It is not clear what caused the problem. One user said he received a message after the deletion, which said it was not a mistake that all mails and contacts were erased. It was a deliberate thing, a malicious attack and not an error.

Another user reported that before the happening of the crash he had been receiving repeated notifications from his web browser that more than 100 web-based programs were though active but slow.

Google perhaps is not to be blamed. The problem could be due to a flaw in Firefox version 2.0.0.0. If this is true then users of version 2.0.0.1 would be safe from the attack.

Related article: Gmail Users at the Mercy of Firefox Exploit

» SPAMfighter News - 1/2/2007