Google admits to reading your emails, claims you should expect it.

[frankthedm]

http://www.examiner.com/article/google-admits-to-reading-gmail-messages-of-users

Since when did paranoid nutjob become the expected level of distrust? I think my tinfoil hat needs a few more layers...

a person has no legitimate expectation of privacy in information he voluntarily turns over to third parties.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Originally Posted by counsel for Google
a person has no legitimate expectation of privacy in information he voluntarily turns over to third parties.

Realiy? REALLY? Methinks the judges who have handled USPS and courier services cases would beg to differ on this.

Damnit! I need a roll-eyes smiley!

I am predicting Google gets shot down in flames on this one.

 

[Bullgrit]

Not to defend Google on this, nor even to play devil's advocate, but are emails sent through Google "sealed" in any way like envelopes/packages sent through USPS and such? I highly dislike the idea that Google (or any email provider) could/would read my email, and that's why I don't use Google. Honestly, Google scares me more than the NSA. I'm not even exaggerating.

Bullgrit

 

[MerricB]

See here for the counterpoint:

http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/14/4621474/yes-gmail-users-have-an-expectation-of-privacy

 

[Deset Gled]

I honestly never had expectation of privacy from my email from Google. They flat out tell you that they target advertising based on it; how do you expect they target the ads without reading the email? Frankly, I don't expect privacy on any free or web based email. Or email at work. Come to think of it, the only email I ever had that was private was the one from my university when I was in college, and that's only because I was specifically told it was private.

Generally speaking, whenever you send any information over a network, you are voluntarily sharing that information with an completely unknown number of unidentified servers and people. Unless the website/server/service specifically tells you the info is private, you have no expectation that it would be. And even then, be suspicious.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Can 'o' worms: right now, a lot of businesses and institutions- including the legal system and your health care provider- have been acting as if emails were as confidential as the US mail.

Assuming Google's interpretation wins out- and I don't think it will- expect either a wave of legislation to change that OR a slowdown in commerce as we return to a physical paperwork model. Because if email isn't confidential, that means there are all kinds of communications between lawyers and clients, between doctors and paitents, etc. that will suddenly be discoverable in legal proceedings...in violation of current law.

 

[Orius]

I wish I knew where that image of a Borg cube with a Google logo I slapped together a few years ago went.

 

[Morrus]

Yeah, as Danny says, medical and legal communications are just the start of it. Email is a standard communication tool for nearly every profession the world over; and if the assumption that emails are private is false there's gonna be major worldwide ramifications. Doctors, lawyers, law enforcement, tech and research companies, accountants, etc. will all suddenly be in the position where they've been sending confidential information out publicly for years.

At least the military and intelligence agencies probably encrypt 'em.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

An amusing thought just occurred to me- if Google's interpretation wins out, it could be a Pyrrhic victory.

I'm no litigator, but all those emails turning from presumptively private to presumptively public would probably trigger a wave of litigation trying to hold Google liable for the exposure of those sending the emails.* Even if the suits are ultimately found to be without merit, the sheer number of cases- assuming no class action gets approved- could be ruinous, even bankrupting of Google.

Careful what you wish for, Google!










* make no mistake- Google's position winning out would result in an avalanche of litigation: individual citizens, news organizations, law enforcement, and even shady types suing to get their hands on the data; and people suing the people who sent emails containing their sensitive data.

 

[Slickam]

At least the military and intelligence agencies probably encrypt 'em.

Not always. I've had emails sent to me by mistake (in my gmail account) from another country's military with no encryption at all. They were marked unclassified, so that may be why. I hope they wouldn't send classified messages unencrypted.