Google adds monitoring feature to Gmail

According to a post in Google's official Gmail blog, Gmail users can now track their most recent Gmail sessions as well as remotely sign out from their Gmail accounts. Since Gmail users can access their e-mail accounts from anywhere, be it a work, home or any other computer, the new feature is a real plus when it comes to security. Writes Erwin D'Souza, Gmail Engineer:

If you are anything like me, you probably sign in to Gmail from multiple computers. I, for example, occasionally sign into my Gmail account from a friend's house when I need to check an important e-mail. Usually I remember to sign out, but every once in a while I wonder if I really did. Now I no longer have to wonder.

The Washington Post reports that the Gmail move is the latest in a string of efforts by Google to underscore its concern for privacy in the wake of last week's Viacom ruling forcing Google to turn over YouTube user names and IP addresses. In fact, Google just added a link to its privacy policy to its front page, something it had resisted for years. In its post announcing the move, Google notes "Trust is the basis of everything we do, so we want users to be familiar and comfortable with the integrity and care we give their personal data."

For more on Google's latest privacy struggles, keep an eye out this week for updates to Garett Kopczynski's Google Watcher blog here.