A number of Gmail users are complaining that their e-mail has mysteriously vanished. After TechCrunch picked up the story, Google issued a public apology, stating that the problem affected only 60 users. There don't seem to be any noticeable patterns in the group of affected users.

Google seems confident that it is the result of an "isolated problem", but so far no specific details have been provided. Some of the affected users report that Google has restored a week or two of e-mail, but most of their messages were unrecoverable.

One could point to the little "beta" sigil below the Gmail logo and say that such problems are to be expected, but that doesn't change the fact that instances of significant data loss will create at least some uncertainty about the service. This incident also serves as a warning for those that use web-based mail interfaces exclusively. Gmail users should consider using the service's POP functionality for backup purposes. For those of us that depend on consistent and reliable mail access for business; mail backups are as important as document backups, if not more so. Let's hope that this really is an "isolated problem" and that it doesn't recur in the near future.

Source: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061230-8524.html