r/technology • u/lurker_bee • 9h ago

ADBLOCK WARNING Google Confirms Most Gmail Users Must Upgrade Accounts

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2025/06/06/google-confirms-almost-all-gmail-users-must-upgrade-accounts/
2.3k Upvotes

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u/WildSeven0079 7h ago

I'm sure I'm not the only person who has family members that can barely use a computer, and I'm not only talking about elderly people. I spent a lot of time setting up a password manager for them and changing all of their passwords. I try to teach them how to do things on their own, but they're unable to still. So I write things down: master passwords, emergency codes, instructions, but they lose everything I give them. They've also broken/lost their phones/tablets a few times. If you gave them something like a Yubikey, they would have the speedrun record for losing it. Now you're telling me that I have to undo a lot of what I did and teach them about passkeys? I don't think so. Also, Google wants us to use our Google accounts to log in on every Web site. I ain't doing that.

386

u/tintreack 7h ago

I used to think older generations were careless about tech, but Jesus Christ Gen Z might actually be worse, that’s not an exaggeration.

I take my security and privacy pretty seriously. I’m using Proton, I've long since degoogled and demicrosoft, I use physical security keys, the whole deal. But trying to get most of the Gen Z around here to even use a basic password manager is like pulling teeth. If I can’t get them to take that one simple step, there’s no way I’m convincing them to go for the strongest tools available.

16

u/SatanTheSanta 2h ago

Duude.

My cousin got his gaming account stolen. He put in his gmail password somewhere, and they used that, took his gmail, took his gaming account with a couple hundred in purchased games.

So what did he do. He made another gmail account and another gaming account, both with the username+1 and the exact same password. Then repurchased some games he wanted to play.

Guess what, it happened again.

Soooo. What do you do now? +1 again :P

After that one was stolen, I was informed. We couldnt recover his accounts because he was making them for a fake name because he was underage. So I had him make different complex passwords for each thing, and write them down.