Since last week, Gmail has changed its display options. Instead of choosing to “display images,” images will now be displayed automatically.
Gmail also announced that it will check for viruses and malware now that all the images are going to come from its own proxy servers, instead of from the original host servers, making it much more safer to receive emails from unknown senders. Because Gmail will be hosting the images, there will be no need for users to download them and reveal their IP addresses and compromise security of their computer.
This will make viewing images safer and easier, and there will be no need to click the “display images below” message again.
However, if you want, you are able to disable the automatic function by clicking on “General,” and, in settings, clicking the “Ask before displaying external images” option.
The move comes after Gmail dealt a huge blow to advertisers earlier this year by automatically sorting messages into tabs like “Primary”, “Social”, “Updates”, “Promotions”, and “Forums.”
The automatic display is a benefit to e-commerce advertisers, because customers will see more ads this way. But because users now have a choice whether they want to open up the “Promotions” tab, users may look at advertisements less and less.
