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September 13th, 2008

Google wants your Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL contacts

Posted by Garett Rogers @ 10:42 pm

Categories: Google, Privacy

Tags: Google Inc., MSN Hotmail, America Online Inc., Yahoo! Inc., E-mail Providers, Internet, Garett Rogers

A Googling Google reader noticed that their Sandbox iGoogle page had a new link on it today — unfortunately, subsequent attempts to see it were fruitless. He says the link was something like “Find friends that are using iGoogle”, and clicking it took him to an interesting page.

chatimport.gif

This “Chat Import” page asks you to provide your Hotmail, Yahoo or AOL username and password so that it can scrape all your contacts. From there, it can figure out if any of them already have Google accounts — and if they do, it will let you import them directly into your Chat list. Don’t worry though, Google says they won’t store any of your credentials for those other services without your permission.

What do you think about Google asking for usernames and passwords for other services?

[Thanks Martin!]

Garett RogersGarett Rogers is employed as a programmer for iQmetrix, which specializes in retail management software for the wireless industry. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.


Email Garett Rogers

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  • Talkback
  • Most Recent of 23 Talkback(s)
RE: Google wants your Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL contacts
Cannot trust google, (Read the rest)
Posted by: shiyazahammed@... Posted on: 09/17/08 You are currently: a Guest | | Terms of Use
Par for the course, except for Google's size  AySz88 | 09/13/08
RE: Google wants your Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL contacts  superdave7380 | 09/14/08
"Friends and Family"  Pliny the Elder | 09/14/08
Re:Friends and Family  tassaramar | 09/14/08
I've said before  kcredden2 | 09/14/08
RE: Google wants your Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL contacts  Daniel Tunkelang | 09/14/08
RE: Google wants your Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL contacts  BIGELLOW | 09/14/08
RE: Google wants your Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL contacts  mtpt | 09/14/08
Its not about who collects the information  jscott418 | 09/14/08
I second this.  Dealing | 09/14/08
RE: Google wants your Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL contacts  Spugna | 09/15/08
RE: Google wants your Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL contacts  goldenpirate@... | 09/15/08
RE: Google wants your Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL contacts  savagemic | 09/15/08
Omniscient - Google wants your contacts  cturk@... | 09/15/08
RE: Google wants your Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL contacts  hasta la Vista, bah-bie | 09/15/08
RE: Google wants your Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL contacts  goose58431 | 09/15/08
RE: Google wants your Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL contacts  jasonemmg | 09/15/08
RE: Google wants your Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL contacts  Old-Navy | 09/16/08
RE: Google wants your Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL contacts  hasta la Vista, bah-bie | 09/16/08
RE: Google wants your Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL contacts  portars@... | 09/16/08
Unauthorized collection of Windows Live ID's  windowsknowitall | 09/16/08
RE: Google wants your Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL contacts  Darkamster2004 | 09/17/08
RE: Google wants your Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL contacts  shiyazahammed@... | 09/17/08

What do you think?

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