Gmail is opening and caching URLs within emails without user intervention (2019)

Re:Gmail is opening and caching URLs within emails without u... by 867-5309 on Friday August 20, 2021 @10:17AM (#28246272)

>This is most annoying when the site wants me to type in my email address to unsubscribe.

I've become increasingly suspicious of this practice

if my email address is in the URL, why don't you autofill that email box for me? if it's not in the URL, why aren't you fetching it from your database using my unique hash in the URL? do you even keep any records of email subscription preferences? am I just signing up for more shitty spam by giving you my email, again? am I just being marked as 'active' i.e. fresh meat, somewhere in the spammiverse?

these questions become more poignant and the suspicion more fiery when, low and behold, it turns out you are still subscribed

I don't fill them in any more, I just block the sender

don't get me started on the "it may take up to 28 days for our systems to register your desertion" bollocks -- I'm not working a contractual notice period, or running a lap of dishonour. it's a bitflip to 'false' in the 'is_pesterable' column, else a respectful deletion. it takes microseconds, not weeks!

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Gmail is opening and caching URLs within emails without u... by prepend on Friday August 20, 2021 @02:22PM (#28249568)

That too as I suspect the unsubscribe links may just be data gathering.

I typically never type in any information because I assume the site doesn’t know and wants to know.

I’d rather just set up a kill rule on my end than risk getting my email on one more list.

[ Parent | on HN ]