Nerd outrage hyperbole much? This is an OPT IN service. You know, only for people who WANT to use it? If it causes you this degree of apoplexy, you are in luck: you don't have to use it.
This service shouldn't exist. It breaks the very concept of email security. They're marketing it as though it's safe. Want hyperbole? Imagine Bayer marketing heroin as safe because you know, it's opt-in.
Why the hell not? Heroin from Bayer would not have the quality control issues Heroin typically has.
It only becomes problematic when you consider that the user is getting themselves into a situation that they do not fully understand and potentially cannot easily back themselves out of.
With drugs that have a high potential to cause harm, we typically force the consumer to consult a professional before allowing them to proceed. Tech is still in the era of patent medicines.
I understand the opinion, but I don't understand the sudden outrage.
LI, Google and Facebook have always wanted your third-party email credentials for Friend Finder-style features. The only difference is that this time we cannot even hope that they delete them after logging in once. Security-wise, it's all the same.
Right, so I should be ok about a company that recently lost 7 million passwords that were 'encrypted' using only SHA1, suddenly getting access to a whole raft more passwords?
Access to this many passwords is a threat even if my password is not one of them.
Finally, it may be opt in, but are they going to explain to the user that they get to keep a password for an account to which they have no legitimate right?
That's not quite true, in that all the emails I send to people who have opted in are now available to LinkedIn. You have no way of totally opting out without encrypting all your email.
For all you know, I (or anyone else you email) could have a simple "forward all email to [email protected]" filter running. If you don't want the second party to share your email with a third party, don't send the second party an email.
Like your average user is going to know the implications of opting into this service.
I doubt they have a warning when you install this "This is going to let us read all your emails AND the emails of people who communicate with you (without their consent)
...oh yes, and get your username / password for your email accounts"
And if I am communicating with someone who installed this hack then I certainly didn't opt-in.
It's only opt-in for the end user. If it were really opt-in, it would be opt-in for the ___domain owners and/or the email providers. Come to think of it, I wouldn't have an issue with this, and it might be worth it for recruiters who use LinkedIn for everything (and in my opinion are doing it wrong).
