Gmail provides the new, hip trend in wonkery

Opening up my Gmail account yesterday, I saw the following announcement across the top encased in a pink banner:  We believe state-sponsored attackers may be attempting to compromise your account or computer. Protect yourself now. As FP’s Josh Rogin and others have reported, this is part of Google’s new policy of warning users specifically of ...

By , a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast.

Opening up my Gmail account yesterday, I saw the following announcement across the top encased in a pink banner: 

Opening up my Gmail account yesterday, I saw the following announcement across the top encased in a pink banner: 

We believe state-sponsored attackers may be attempting to compromise your account or computer. Protect yourself now.

As FP’s Josh Rogin and others have reported, this is part of Google’s new policy of warning users specifically of "state-sponsored attackers."  It should be noted that Google’s advice is essentially the same as it has always been — follow good email hygeine and be careful about opening up attachments. 

So, this warning doesn’t really change things on my end all that much.  I do wonder, however, if this will be yet another signifier that wonks inside and outside the Beltway will use to measure their "influence".  I can all to easily imagine the following exchange taking place this morning at a DC Caribou Coffee:

WONK 1:  So did you get the Gmail warning?  Isn’t that pink header a little creepy?

WONK 2:  What pink header?  What are you talking about? 

WONK 1:  You know, the Gmail  notification  saying that you account might be the object of a state-sponsored attack.

WONK 2:  No, I didn’t get that.

WONK 1:  Oh.

[Long, awkward pause]

WONK 1:  I’m sure it’s just an oversight by the Chinese/Iranian/Russian/American authorities!

WONK 2:  I can’t believe this.  My Klout score is higher than yours! 

WONK 1:  This just shows how inept the security apparatus is in Beijing/Tehran/Moscow/Washington.

WONK 2:  Just you wait.  After my Washington Post op-ed runs tomorrow, I’ll be getting that pink banner! 

WONK 1 [pats WONK 2 on the back]:  Atta boy. 

Of course, us academics would never have this kind of conversation.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to polish my cv. 

Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner

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