Gmail accounts shut down

Google's attempts to fight a network of spammers has resulted in it accidentally disabling a number of innocent Gmail accounts.

Complaints began to flood Google's message boards in the early hours of yesterday morning, when one user noted that when he tried to log in to his account, he got a message informing him that it had been disabled.

The complaints swiftly racked up as more and more users complained of being locked out of their accounts without explanation and having to helplessly watch mail sent to their Gmail accounts bounced back to the sender.

Googleseems to have predominately targeted newer accounts, with one user, RawheaD, noting, "it sounds like this just started today, and right around the same time.

"The same thing happened to me with one of my accounts that I set up less than a week ago. I have four other Gmail accounts that I've had for a while, and they're all working."

Google's response to the complaints has been mixed, with some forum members claiming it has told them the technical difficulty is resolved, and others being informed that it is still being investigated.

However, when questioned by PC Pro, the company responded: "We've been targeting a large network of spammers to keep them out of the Gmail system and accidentally disabled access to some other accounts. We've restored access to these accounts. We know how important Gmail is to our users, so we encourage them to report any issues to the Gmail Help Center."