Report: Gmail Germany May Shut Down

With a law that would force Google and other Internet service providers to disclose the identity of consumers using its services within Germany now moving through the German parliament, the Mountain View, Calif. company is threatening to shut down its Gmail service within the country, German magazine Spiegel reported on Monday.

If the law passes as is, starting next year, anonymous e-mail accounts would become illegal, as would anonymizing services like Tor. Additionally, information on connection data for Internet, phone calls, and SMS usage would also be saved for a period of six months. Google takes issue with the law, saying it cuts into user privacy and would also force the company to go against its own practice of allowing anonymous e-mail accounts.