[liberationtech] question about browser/Gmail subject line / browser history exposure

Wed Jul 4 22:56:26 PDT 2012

Thanks for this, Sam.  

While I understand your reasoning (such as on putting the onus on the user_ our use case is a person who is not necessarily a self-described activist, just learned how to use a computer, and definitely has not had any training.  That person may say something in a subject line that can be construed as political involvement when in fact it is not.  Or it may be someone who is just getting involved, say in the context of an upcoming election, for instance.

This feature lowers the barrier for 'accidental' invasion of privacy significantly. It does not require a any knowledge of tech and no premeditation. (Installing and reading keylogger software does require some tech knowledge AND premeditation.)

In a society with a lot of informers that may tattle on someone, this that is a huge problem. 

Best,

Katrin 

On Jul 4, 2012, at 5:44 PM, Sam King wrote:

> I remember when they first implemented this feature in the early days of gmail.  I remember experiencing it as a wonderful feature, which was how they touted it.  In Yahoo mail, I can't bookmark a URL for a particular email, and I can't use the forward or back buttons in my browser.  In gmail, they got the browser to treat each email as a separate page, so the browser history shows each as a separate page.  As a result, it would probably be a very large change in the code and a decently large decrease in usability if they were to revert that feature.  I believe that m.gmail.com doesn't give away too much information in the subject lines, though.
> 
> In any case, if someone is doing sensitive things in a public location on an insecure computer, there are a lot of vectors of attack (you mentioned keyloggers.  How about someone looking over your shoulder or recording you?).  If that person isn't taking the basic precaution of clearing their browser history (or going into privacy mode in FF or incognito mode in Chrome), they probably are exposing a lot more than a list of emails they read, and they probably aren't taking a lot of other necessary precautions.  Even if they used Yahoo mail, the browser history would still reveal their username (and the connections aren't https by default, so it would probably be much easier for someone to actually read your emails and gather your browsing data).  
> 
> In general, a good user interface is one where user expectations are fulfilled.  I don't think that most people I know have the expectation, "When I am in a public place, the things that I say and read are private" -- I wouldn't be surprised if someone noticed a newspaper article I was reading in a cafe, for instance -- and I also think that most people I know are starting to have the expectation, "anything that I do on a computer or on the internet will leave traces."  That is very dependent on the culture and familiarity with computers on the part of the user, though.
> 
> Sam King
> Director | Code the Change - we have a Code Jam for social good coming up!
> Teacher | CS1U: Practical Unix - videos and exercises are available free online!
> facebook, linkedin, twitter, google+, verbose letters
> 
> 
> 
> On Wed, Jul 4, 2012 at 5:15 PM, Katrin Verclas <katrin at mobileactive.org> wrote:
> Hi, Robert, thanks for that.
> 
> See below.
> 
> On Jul 4, 2012, at 8:55 AM, Robert Guerra wrote:
> 
> > Katrin,
> >
> > Likely what  is being displayed is the HTML page title, which google updates per each email that is viewed or composed.
> 
> Yeah but that's a choice gmail/fb make for some usability/ease of use/whatever reason that backfires for those users dependent on internet cafes who are not deleting their browser history.
> 
> Of course, as was pointed out to me, there is also the problem of keylogger software on many computers in many cafes in many repressive countries that records passwords etc.... which, of course, is an important related issue but not one I am getting into here :)
> 
> >
> > The data being displayed is - sensitive data - as such would likely have been included in the privacy impact analysis that all GNI companies need to do
> 
> Has the privacy impact analysis been released? I am copying Susan on this to shed light on how and what role GNI plays in this (not clear on this but Sudan can enlighten us)
> 
> > . If there's a variation between them on this, then that should be pointed out.
> 
> Between Yahoo v gmail?  Is that what you mean?  Trying to understand what you are getting at...
> 
> And yes, seems like an easy fix that would increase privacy for users on shared computers without a huge loss of usability.
> 
> 
> >
> > Robert
> >
> > --
> > R. Guerra
> > Phone/Cell: +1 202-905-2081
> > Twitter: twitter.com/netfreedom
> > Email: rguerra at privaterra.org
> >
> > On 2012-07-04, at 7:52 AM, Katrin Verclas wrote:
> >
> >> Hi all --
> >>
> >> Question for you:  A colleague noticed in an Internet cafe (in a repressive country) that in FireFox and Chrome the browser history reveals the subject line of gmail. The history also reveals the name of the person a user Facebook-messaged and profile pages visited.  The same was not true for Yahoo or hotmail.
> >>
> >> See below for a sample screenshot that illustrates what I am talking about (using the latest version of FF on Mac OS)  It seems to be a function of gmail/FB not the browser (same happens in Chrome and Safari, did not try for IE).  As I said, Yahoo mail and Hotmail do not reveal the subject line in the history as far as we could see.
> >>
> >> So - is this and oversight or deliberate on the part of Gmail/F?
> >>
> >> It seems potentially rather problematic since most users do not delete their history nor use any private browsing features or software when in an internet cafe.  We looked at detailed name/subject line/FB social grapsh in the browser history of machines in the cafe for at least eight months back). With this information it is very easy to see an individual's activity without any other digital logs installed.
> >>
> >> Curious about this from a technical POV and whether it can be fixed by Gmail/Facebook.  We can involve the right people there; after understanding this better.
> >>
> >> In the meantime, this definitely should be covered in any trainings (that is - do not use a a sensitive or revealing subject line, delete your history, browse in private mode, etc)
> >>
> >> Thanks for any insights.
> >>
> >> Best,
> >>
> >> Katrin
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> <Screen shot 2012-07-04 at 7.37.19 AM.png>
> >
> 
> 
> Katrin Verclas
> MobileActive.org
> katrin at mobileactive.org
> 
> skype/twitter: katrinskaya
> (347) 281-7191
> 
> Check out SaferMobile.org
> Using Mobile Technology More Securely. For Activists, Rights Defenders, and Journalists.
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> 
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Katrin Verclas
MobileActive.org
katrin at mobileactive.org

skype/twitter: katrinskaya
(347) 281-7191

Check out SaferMobile.org 
Using Mobile Technology More Securely. For Activists, Rights Defenders, and Journalists.
https://safermobile.org

MobileActive.org: A global network of people using mobile technology for social impact
http://mobileactive.org