Re: Sidebar - Gmail dotted email addresses
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Jeremy, I would suggest that this is all down to the question: 'When is an e-mail address not an e-mail address?' Answer: 'When it's an id.' Correct. And any third-party using an email address as an ID must not presume anything about the semantics of the user portion. The only safe assumption is that each unique spelling is a unique individual. Dots are not the only issue, you even must assume that capitalization might matter: John@... may not be the same individual as john@.... Moral 2: if somebody's signing up to your service with an e-mail as id, do your best to ensure it is theirs...? Correct again. This is why Groups.io requires that a user confirm their email address (prove that they received a notice sent to that address) before the address can be used to participate. If your group's Members list has any email addresses bearing the NC badge, this is what the owner of that address has not done - Not Confirmed. And this discrepancy - that if your e-mail address is ab@~ , and somebody can use a.b@~ as 'their' id (but which is your email), then it is a security loophole: see (and other responses to googling 'google email netflix security fail' )? I think Moral 1 is simpler, and applies no matter what email service you use: never confirm an account when you didn't, just a moment ago, originate the confirmation request. So I think in Ellen's case the problem may actually be fraud... (and one that, from what she said, Apple are aware of) Only if she had confirmed an account using the non-dotted address. Otherwise it might just have been a typo that misdirected the other person's message to her. Shal -- Help: /static/help More Help: /g/GroupManagersForum/wiki Even More Help: Search button at the top of Messages list |
Shal Farley