Hi Brian, Are you able to provide a quote of this email from Google or any website it links to? I don't use Gmail any more, so haven't received it, but am interested in its contents. In particular, does it state it's removing *all* password auth from IMAP, or just that you'd need to use app passwords instead of your Google password? I definitely think the latter makes sense; the former is going a bit far IMO. On Tue, Dec 17, 2019, at 17:12, Brian May wrote:
"Michael Verrenkamp" <jabjabs@fastmail.com.au> writes:
While this warning has not been seen universally by users and it appears to be in the trail stage, this is a very worrying for the free and open internet and the software that we use on it. Essentially the software maker, being Google, is able to dictate what people can use online using their software platform and online websites.
While not directly related to web browsers, I am very concerned with an email I received from Google today saying that they intend to phase out support for username/password authentication for LSA ("less secure apps") using protocols such as IMAP, and require using OAuth authentication instead. Presumably this is another way of saying they plan to phase out application specific passwords too.
I am not aware of any open source IMAP client software that can use OAuth.
They may say they are doing this in the name of security, but to me it looks very much like a movement against open source software. -- Brian May <brian@linuxpenguins.xyz> https://linuxpenguins.xyz/brian/ _______________________________________________ Free-software-melb mailing list Free-software-melb@lists.softwarefreedom.com.au https://lists.softwarefreedom.com.au/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/free-software-...
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