GMAIL Users FYI

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Google's attorneys say their long-running practice of electronically scanning the contents of people's Gmail accounts to help sell ads is legal, and are asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit that seeks to stop the practice.

In court records filed in advance of a federal hearing scheduled for Thursday in San Jose, Google argues that "all users of email must necessarily expect that their emails will be subject to automated processing."

The class action lawsuit, filed in May, says Google "unlawfully opens up, reads, and acquires the content of people's private email messages" in violation of California's privacy laws and federal wiretapping statutes. The lawsuit notes that the company even scans messages sent to any of the 425 million active Gmail users from non-Gmail users who never agreed to the company's terms.

Google has repeatedly described how it targets its advertising based on words that show up in Gmail messages. For example, the company says if someone has received a lot of messages about photography or cameras then it might display an advertisement from a local camera store. Google says the process is fully automated, "and no humans read your email..."

"This case involves Plaintiffs' effort to criminalize ordinary business practices that have been part of Google's free Gmail service since it was introduced nearly a decade ago," argue company attorneys in their motion to dismiss the case.

Privacy advocates have long questioned the practice.

"People believe, for better or worse, that their email is private correspondence, not subject to the eyes of a $180 billion corporation and its whims," said Consumer Watchdog president Jamie Court.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/09/...#ixzz2e29okMUf

I predict Gmail will win that suit.

I guess these days it's no different than your mail carrier reading your post cards. (do people still send postcards?)

No, it s like the mail carrier opening your letters and reading them. And then stuffing fliers in your mailbox for shit that the people in your letters wrote about.

I feel like Walter Sobchak. Doesn't anybody care about the fracking rules?
BKB

This is a private company. Don't use them if you can't read the "I Accept The Terms and Conditions" box. The one that you checked "I Agree".

I don't like it one bit ... but I have to agree with The Buckster. (OH SHIT!!! Did I just say that??) :banghead

Persackly why I don't send any "sensitive" info over gmail. I always use my "regular" email for that kind of stuff.
When I was in the hospital and away from home for months, I used the heck out of gmail.
It's also very handy to use it with my cell phone for sending pics and such.

BUT, yeah I know they are scanning the mail. Just like "big brother" scans all emails.
If you think Gmail is bad, JUST GO READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR THE BING BROWSER!! That'll scare he Hell out of you.

Getting closer to 1984 every day it seems.

Bing is the worst thing to hit since The Plague. Not a search engine........just another layer of more lists. I never use it.

This is silly. There should be NO expectation of privacy when sending email. It's not like a postal letter, that is not a valid comparison.

A more accurate comparison would be standing on one side of a large room with dozens of people all over the place and yelling something to a buddy on the other side of the room. Whatever you expect from those people in the room is what you should expect from Google and other email providers. I suggest that you save yourself some heartburn and expect everyone to use your 'transmission' to the other side of the room as they see fit :)

You want privacy? pick up the phone and Hope John Kerry isn't listening in :)

But don't use a cell phone.

I use gmail on my tablet. Is there any alternative?

dozens.

Any web mail product.........just have to access the web. Aquamail, Inbox, lots of 'em.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/30/a...oid-email-app/