Anyone use Streak to see if a sent email's been opened by a recipient?

[NewspaperTaxis]

I've been advised that Streak is a good add-on to a Gmail account because it allows you to see if an email you've sent has actually been opened by the recipient.

Has anyone used this feature - I understand it's free at entry level - and how do you find it? Are there any disadvantages to it?

Many thanks...

Disadvantages: When the people you're snooping on find out, they totally lose trust in you.
Not cool at all. Sounds like a more insidious version of read receipts where the person can't even consent to it.
I mean really WTAF. Just trust that the email got there and that the person read it at some point and replied or chose not to reply at some other point.

Is there a reason why you don't use the read recipts ?

Hi @DeanStockwelll I had not heard of read receipts but acc to Google, 'Gmail read requests cannot be used on personal Gmail accounts.' which is what I'm using.

Re @Darragon it's not really a WTAF situation - it's not sent to personal friends, its more for one specific round robin-type email for one time only. Sort of like doing a one-time CV mail out and wondering if anyone even bothered to open it. It's not actually that, but close.

The disadvantage is that it’s weird, and snoopy. No one likes being surveilled, especially when they don’t know it.

You don’t need a tool. If you need to know, ask. Like a normal person.

@NewspaperTaxis I didn't realise read receipts were not available on Gmail.
Would it be worth you setting up a Outlook email account? Read receipts are definitely used / allowed on their.

Thanks @DeanStockwelll - really I only wanted this for a one-time only email.

@MrsTerryPratchett I don't really see that it's weird seeing as I haven't given you the context. I'd have thought for a PR company it would be useful to find out if any of their mailouts actually got opened by anyone, for instance. Alternatively, a family sending an email to a missing person would want to know if it had been emailed, weird or not depends on the context I suppose.

Cheekily I will point out that if they don't know they're subject to surveillance then they can't get annoyed about it. But suppose you email your boss and you suspect they don't even read your emails, and can later claim they never read it and had the idea separately, or perhaps someone wants 'plausible deniability' - well, here's how you find out.

I wouldn't feel the need to use this tool generally - which leads to my next question, presumably one can 'uninstall' it once it's served its purpose?

Anyone that disables the download of of images in emails from unknown email addresses (most I expect), or all emails (less common), or that uses tools/extensions to block tracking pixels will defeat Streak anyway, so I am not sure this will be as useful as you think. It I guess it’s worth a go - just don’t read too much into the ones that don’t appear to have read it!

Would be useful for anybody planning a virus attack then, as it confirms an email address is active without them having to reply - and for a stalky ex or weirdo wanting to find out if that particular email address is active.

It's offensive enough when somebody sends read receipts, which get declined on principle - now being unable to consent at all? Sod that.

Surely everyone that uses Outlook just configures it to never send read receipts anyway. Asking for a read receipt is, IMO, futile. No one who receives an email with a read receipt thinks, ‘ah that’s nice, the sender is interested in whether I’ve received their message - I’ll let them know I have’. Without fail people roll their eyes and think, ‘what a ’ before not allowing a read receipt to be sent (assuming they’ve not already configured it so never send one anyway) don’t they?

Now, that I didn't know - it's likely anyone in local govt would do that anyway I assume... If so my efforts would fall flat.

I expect that who ever manages local government IT would have configured their email in such a way as to not automatically download images from unknown email addresses as a basic security measure. But that they might also have configured it to give the option to the user (for mail that’s passed the spam / security filter) to subsequently download images for the message. So you might get some positive hits. I just don’t think you can read too much into those that appear not to have read it, because they might have done, just minus images.

I deal with gazillions of emails every day and once in a blue moon, get a read receipt notification when I open one. As PPs have said, it just makes me roll my eyes and think they're a noob. It is also rather insulting, as though I somehow just sit there ignoring emails instead of dealing with them promptly.

Don't use it OP, people will just think you're a wanker 🤣

Fair play, but I wasn't asking about receipt notification, just the Streak thing.

A sneaky wanker, then?

Yes, a sneaky wanker. I wanted to find out if any local authority councillors had even bothered to open my whistleblowing email or decided not to to ensure 'plausible deniability'. I'm a right one, aren't I?

You’re not going about it the right way.

If multiple councillors aren’t responding to your email, escalate it to their group leader or the leader of the council. If you’re still getting no luck, talk to someone objective about why that it.

I say that as someone who has been on the receiving end of lots of constituent emails. Nearly everyone gets a responce, but the ones that are offensive or properly batshit (there is a high bar!) don’t.

Also think about timings. Nearly all councillors have a job, or other responsibilities. So if you’re upset that (say) they’ve not responded in a few days you’ll be out of luck.

Not saying that those scenarios apply to you, but it’s worth talking to someone without skin in the game to check your thinking, before going down a slightly stalkery route.

A. If you're actually whistleblowing, emailing a local councillor isn't the correct route.

B. Downloading something to find out whether you've already been blocked/that anything you send is just being glanced at in the preview pane and deleted after repeatedly emailing local councillors about something probably comes under creepy wanker instead of sneaky.

It's about euthanasia of the elderly in hospitals and care homes so I suggest you wind your neck in.

That's utterly the wrong path to be whistleblowing something so serious - you're talking about murder.

I have tried every conceivable path, including contacting my MP past and present, the local and national press, campaign groups (some know about it). I am in 'tell all' phase just to stir things up.
I have had news stories in the local and national press about lousy care homes re my mother, and have had letters in the national press on the issue - but on this there seems to be a national shutdown, despite hints in the national press about murder via dehydration, and jabs and so on.
Posters on mums net have picked up on it in fairness, I would be frankly as good to go on here with it.