Google has informed users that, in spite of several hoaxes on social media, Gmail is not going away. A widely shared post with over seven million views made the erroneous assertion that the email service would go down in August. On the same site, Google refuted the rumor.
Specialists caution about the perils of false information, using the instance as a shining example. Better tools are needed, according to Richard Bagnall of Carma, to validate information found online.
Though false information plagues other social media sites, X—formerly known as Twitter—receives special criticism.
In 2023, the EU designated it as a major disseminator of misinformation. Even after making promises to stop hate speech, X continues to support free speech.
Regarding this prank, which seems to be based on an actual email received by Google in 2023, the BBC has contacted X for comment. It informed users that Gmail’s most basic HTML view will no longer be accessible.
The majority of users of Gmail now would not recognize the original HTML layout, which was utilized when the service began in 2004.
The post that went viral said, “We are reaching out to share an important update about Gmail.”
“After years of connecting millions worldwide, enabling seamless communication, and fostering countless connections, the journey of Gmail is coming to a close.”
With over 1.5 billion active users globally, Gmail is the most widely used email service in the world, according to Statista.
Furthermore, Google has discontinued several services in recent years despite vehemently disputing the erroneous allegations in the hoax mail.
Google discontinued its Stadia game service, its YouTube Stories tool, which was akin to Snapchat, and it started removing Gmail accounts that were no longer in use in 2023 alone.
