Ask HN: Browser Gmail signon newly prompts for Google Chrome account access?

Call me semi-old-fashioned: I access Gmail from a browser -- Google Chrome on Linux, ATM.

This morning, I sign on. Instead of routing to my Inbox, I am sent to an intermediate page prompting me -- sorry, I've forgotten the exact language -- to allow/integrate Google Chrome access to my Google account. There are buttons for 'Yes' and 'Skip', and links to 'Tell me more' and "Advanced Settings".

Mistakenly, and expecting the 'Tell me more' to be typical, minimal and simplistic language, after hesitating I click on "Advanced settings", hoping to gain better insight into what this involves.

Instead, I'm routed to my Inbox, with a pop-up stating that bookmarks, settings, blood type, genome, etc. will now be synchronized. Um... NO!

Fortunately, it includes an "Undo" button, that I immediately click (I can already hear the sound of my data being sucked into Google's maw).

My BIG mistake for not simply clicking "Skip" at the prompt, and/or taking the time to confirm that the 'Tell me more' link was indeed going to be kind of useless. (I guess the caffeine was still in the process of kicking in.)

Looking through my account settings, I see there is a setting that gives Google Chrome "full access", and that this is still set. I don't know whether this persists from this most recent experience I've just described, or whether it was pre-existing. There's no 'Tell me more' link by it. Is it for e.g. notifications in the Chrome browser, or is it still allowing Google to -- via my browser -- "read my mind"?

Further, has my data already been "absorbed" as a result of this morning's action? Is there anything I can do -- beyond the "Undo" button I described -- to actually and/or further undo this?

pasbesoin 12y ago ↗

I had to trim my OP to fit the 2000 character limit (which, per my text editor's statistics, appears to be mis-measured at least against the text as input).

I'm a long time Gmail user. This prompt was new, this morning. It appears to be part of Google's relentless drive to push everyone to "one account" where all their personal data -- including bookmarks, etc. -- is synchronized to / stored on their servers.

Google: I don't appreciate this "resistance is futile" approach. Knock it off, please!

AND, please provide some clear links to full descriptions of what is going on particularly with respect to these settings, on your Account Settings pages. Thanks.

pasbesoin 12y ago ↗

Well, as usual, Google's immediate help -- via a search pop-up from the Account settings page that links to the page where this setting is presented; there is no help linked/provided on the actual page -- is useless.

Searching from the Google home page, I ran across this chain of links. It still provides no description of whether/when this setting is activated. As my tab, bookmark, etc. settings did not carry over automatically to this instance of Chrome when I started using it, I am brought to conclude that this morning's annoying and unwelcome pop-up did indeed turn on this synchronization setting for my account. And that the thereupon/thereafter presented "Undo" button was bullshit -- it didn't undo the synchronization setting.

Full account access for Chrome

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/chromebook-central/G...

wherein a respondent links

Why sign in to Chrome

https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/165139?hl=en