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Google's email service is adding the option to allow messages to become inaccessible after a set time as it prepares for tougher data privacy laws.

A new "confidential mode" can also be used to stop recipients being easily able to forward, copy, download or print correspondence sent via Gmail.

The new facilities are part of a .

One expert said the options were "long overdue" but should help Google convince more businesses to sign up.

"This isn't unique. Other platforms, like Microsoft Exchange, let you use plug-ins to do something similar," said Chris Green, from tech consultancy Lewis.

"But none of the [major] cloud-based mail services have offered these data protection features until now, so they are quite distinctive in that respect."

Some smaller companies, including Proton Mail, have offered a message expiration feature before.

Since it is not practical to remotely wipe emails from somebody else's computer after they have been downloaded, the self-destruct feature works by sending a link to a page where the sensitive content can be viewed rather than including the material in the original message.

As an added safety measure, recipients can be required to type in a password to open the link.

The anti-copy functions will not prevent determined users from replicating messages - screengrabs and photos of a computer display are still possible - but they are intended to minimise the risk of confidential data being accidentally passed on to the wrong party, which might constitute a data breach.

The move comes a month before a new EU data privacy law - the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - comes into force.

It requires organisations to notify local data watchdogs of a breach within 72 hours of becoming aware, and increases the amount they can be fined for non-compliance.

"The timing of this is not a coincidence," said Mr Green.

"A lot of this will be about ensuring that Gmail will continue to be a viable for enterprise users, as it will help them show they are GDPR-compliant."

Google has begun rolling out the new features, which are already available to select users via their settings menu.