The main problem that privacy interested users have is that Google will recognize them when they use other Google services especially Google Search which can be used to create extensive user profiles. This becomes more difficulty if the user is not signed into a Google service as Google can only rely on cookies or IPs to identify users.

The sign in link is shown in the upper right corner if the user is not signed in a Google service and the mail of the user if the user is still signed in.

There have also been talks about Gmail security vulnerabilities which Google promptly denied. Fact is, there have been several incidents where filters have been set in Gmail accounts of experienced users. Those filters have been used to transfer web domains to other registrars.

Additional Resources:

90 Tools To Make You A Gmail Pro
Gmail Backup
Gmail Mail Notifier

Gmail Sign In

The easiest way to sign in to Google Mail is to head over to the page right away and do so. It can happen that you encounter error messages, a blank page or other problems that prevent the log in page from opening correctly. One of the easiest fixes that works in a lot of cases is to access Gmail directly via https://mail.google.com and not http.

You might want to reload the page once, or, if that does not work clear the web browser cache and cookies before trying again. We have published two guides that explain how to clear a browser cache.

If that still does not work, I suggest you download and install another web browser to try connecting to Gmail with that program.