One of the prominent highlights of the new Gmail redesign is a feature called “Confidential Mode”. It essentially lets you send self-destructing emails which can be revoked from the recipient’s inbox after a period of time. Emails sent under the “Confidential Mode” also cannot be forwarded or printed or downloaded. However, there’s an intriguing way Google’s doing this to prevent any misuse. Here’s how it works.

The way Google does it is that any email sent with the “Confidential Mode” switched on is basically a link, not the regular mix of text and attachments. You can think of that link as a limited access license to a specific space of your account where the email is actually stored. Therefore, with Confidential Mode, the email technically never leaves your inbox.

The person on the other end doesn’t, although, gets just a link in the email. Gmail automatically parses it and shows the content as it would normally. If the recipient is not on Gmail, Confidential Mode Works through HTTPS. Once the access time expires, the link is no longer valid and hence, the parsing doesn’t happen. Simple. In the entire time span when the email is valid, the sender always has the control and can revoke it anytime.

In addition to that, you can enable 2-factor authentication for the emails you send through Confidential mode. Hence, even if the receiving person’s account is hacked, you don’t need to worry about that message. That being said, there is one way through which your emails can be replicated — screenshots or a photo taken from another device. It’s possible Google might begin preventing that as well, at least on the mobile apps where it can be easily done.

The new Gmail is loaded to the brim with a slew of other, smart features like the ability to snooze, smart replies, and more. Read all about it here.