Gmail Privacy Concerns?
Gmail privacy concerns?
I’m sure you’ve already heard, but Google is getting into the email business. We speculated about Google email a few months ago, but were unsure about the whole mail thing. It seemed to be a change in a direction that Google wasn’t used to. After all, Google is search, and nothing more. They build services on top of search (such as news, Froogle and so on) but essentially, everything is driven by search.
So when it was confirmed that Google was getting into email, we were a little surprised. Personally, I don’t think it’s a bad thing. One of the strongest assets both Yahoo! and MSN have is web based free email. From a competitive point of view it kind of makes sense. And search, as you will see, is built into it.
Google mail is still in beta testing right now, so you can’t get a new address. You can put a request in for one, but there are no guarantees.
So when people start complaining about privacy being violated with Google mail I get a little surprised. How is it that a beta product can be invading your privacy, especially when you request to use the product? If you haven’t heard, privacy advocates are saying that Google is invading mail user’s privacy because they will be scanning your personal email and offering ads which correspond to the body of the emails. This is where the Google search comes in.
Further, you won’t be able to delete old emails; they just keep building up apparently. I can understand not being able to delete them, especially if Google is trying to serve ads matching the email bodies, and I can see the point of privacy being violated (somewhat). However, it is a free service which you are requesting. You have to agree to their terms of use (which I’m sure addresses the whole scanning emails issue) in order to receive your free email address, so what is the problem?
I could see if it was an ISP who gave you email and did this, because you’re stuck with it, but to go after a free service which you are explicitly requesting to use? It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.
It’s kind of like when you go to a major sporting event. When I go to see our local hockey team, I don’t give express permission for the TV broadcaster to use my face during their broadcast (such as when they are showing the crowds reaction) yet I expect it, and I don’t consider it a violation of my privacy. I am at the event of my own free will as I chose to be there. If I were concerned about someone seeing my face on TV I wouldn’t be at the game.
Maybe I’m taking a simplistic view on this, but I really don’t understand what the fuss is about. Perhaps, if they added the scanning feature after I signed up I would be concerned, but otherwise, if I have previously agreed to it, then I’m stuck with it in exchange for having the ability to use 1 gigabyte of free email storage space.
I guess if I was really concerned, yet I still wanted to use Gmail, then I’d ask all my friends to send images to the Gmail address, and everything else to one of my other addresses. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about Google scanning my emails, because they wouldn’t get much useful text out of the images and I’d be able to keep all those pictures that get sent to me.
Author Bio:
Rob Sullivan
Production Manager
Searchengineposition.com
Search Engine Positioning Specialists
