Google offers salvation from drunken email shame

by Jacquie Bowser, Brand Republic 08-Oct-08, 09:00

LONDON - Google has launched Mail Goggles, a product that will prevent, or at least deter, users from sending regrettable emails while intoxicated.

Mail Goggles activates itself late at night on weekends when many users might have had a few too many drinks, making them more likely to write embarrassing messages to friends or partners.

It asks Gmail users to answer a series of mathematical questions before their message can be sent.

The simple addition and multiplication sums have to be completed within a time limit.

Jon Perlow, a Gmail engineer who created the software, announced the new product on Google's Gmail blog, explaining that he himself had sent some unfortunate late-night emails.

He said: "Sometimes I send messages I shouldn't send. Like the time I told that girl I had a crush on her over text message. Or the time I sent that late-night email to my ex-girlfriend that we should get back together."

"Gmail can't always prevent you from sending messages you might later regret, but today we're launching a new Labs feature I wrote called Mail Goggles which may help.

"Hopefully Mail Goggles will prevent many of you out there from sending messages you wish you hadn't. Like that late-night memo -- I mean mission statement -- to the entire firm."

Gmail users can set Mail Goggles to activate at any time they feel they might need protection.

Read Gordon's Republic blog post: Drunk mail - do not press send you moron.

Comments

Fauzia Musa - 08/10/2008

This is the answer to all my problems.

Chris Pollard - 08/10/2008

Genius!! Nokia needs to invent one for text messages now...

theONE - 08/10/2008

They should sell these to people going out at weekends too. Maybe Specsavers could have a cheaper version....

Harmandar Singh - 08/10/2008

LIFE SAVER The following people are eternally grateful for this: John Merrifield, Tony Savarimuthu, Gary Tay, Kim Shaw, Austen Zecha, Terry Savage, Jagdish Ramakrishnan, Bob Scarpelli, David Droga, Jeff Goodby, Gary Caulfield, Steve Elrick, Ben Hunt, and countless other inebriated souls...