When I signed up for Gmail many years ago, you had to be invited by an existing user. My colleague Ralph extended that credential, after which I could invite myself to open more accounts.
The address format specified characters.characters@gmail.com. It was case sensitive and the dots mattered. Then, a few years later, I started receiving emails definitely not addressed to me. Up in the address field was a note from the googs stating "yes, this is you," with a link to explanation. Addresses were no longer case sensitive and dots didn't matter. Thus I would receive email addressed to anyone using the same characters I had used, upper or lower case, dots or no dots. But it's selective. I don't receive every email my doppelgangers get. Their inboxes can't be that sparse unless they ruthlessly prune their contact lists.
I get snapshots of multiple lives. I even get spam based on their history and preferences. And they're a diverse group. At least two appear to be Black women. One seems to be a southern guy. Someone owns or used to own a Jeep. I've learned some interesting things about California's ecology, the blues music scene in Los Angeles, and The Roosevelt Institute, as well as dental and hair care schedules, notifications about routine automobile service, and the cosmetic products marketed to certain demographics. I even get emails from school administrators to parents, and internal business communications from people I don't know. These are not phishing scams. These are other people's business, delivered to me. Some seem to come and go randomly. Others appear regularly, even daily.
I wonder what they might see from my inbox?
While the experience has been interesting in a way, it's also annoying that Gmail made no effort to secure my communications or those with whom I share my initials. It's a good reminder that most communication on the Internet is not secure. It can be made somewhat more secure by taking specific steps that cost money, but in any case we are submitting our information to a sprawling global system of computers entirely owned by other people. Commit your information accordingly.
