Gmail confidential mode was announced earlier this year for G Suite in beta and on June 25, 2019, the feature will be rolled out for all G Suite users, who will have the option to send emails with confidential mode.

Recipients of emails sent with confidential mode won’t be able to forward, copy, print, or download the contents of the email, including any attachments. Senders can also set an expiration date for the email — a feature commonly seen in other email and messaging services — revoke access to the email at any time and set an SMS verification code to gain access to the message.

It’s important to note that the recipients can still take screenshots or photos of the message, and might also be able to download contents of an email sent using confidential mode via third-party software.

Confidential mode will be switched on by default after rollout for all domains unless the feature is disabled.

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How does Confidential mode work?

After a confidential mode message is sent, Gmail replaces the message body and attachments with a link that reaches the recipient via SMTP, alongwith the subject. According to Google, “Gmail clients make the linked content appear as if it’s part of the message. Third-party mail clients display a link in place of the content.”

Since the confidential mode has built-in features like revoking access at any time and SMS authentication, it’s also possible for users to protect the data shared in the emails if they’ve been sent to a wrong or compromised email address.

What is the Confidential mode Vault?

Confidential mode messages are retained, preserved, can be searched and exported via Vault. The message body of such messages is only retained in Vault when the sender is from within the organisation. If the sender is from a different organisation, only the message headers and subject are retained.

Messages sent via confidential mode are always available in the Vault, even if an expiration date is set or access has been revoked.

Even if a domain has disabled Gmail confidential mode, users of that domain will still receive confidential mode messages from other G Suite users and from personal Gmail accounts. However, G Suite administrators have the option to create a compliance rule to block incoming confidential mode messages.

Disable/Enable Confidential mode

To disable or enable confidential mode on your domain, follow the steps mentioned below:

• Sign in to your Google Admin console using your administrator account
• Go to Apps > G Suite > Gmail
• Go to User Settings
• To disable, uncheck Enable confidential mode box (and check the box to enable the feature)
• Click on Save

To disable or enable confidential mode for an organisational unit, follow the steps mentioned below:

• Sign in to your Google Admin console using your administrator account
• Go to Apps > G Suite > Gmail
• Select the organisational unit from the panel on the left
• Click on User Settings, select the organisational unit
• To disable, uncheck Enable confidential mode box (and check the box to enable the feature)
• Click on Save

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