[SATLUG] (OT) Privacy issues with Gmail?

[Jeremy Mann]

Whenever you have something that is stored on somebody else's server
for free, you cannot expect 100% security. There is always a catch.
But I'd rather have it on Google than Yahoo.


On 13 Sep 2004 16:29:46 -0500, Matt <firestorm-v1 at satx.rr.com> wrote:
> Someone sent me this link regarding Gmail and I thought most of it was
> pure BS.  Please let me know what you think?
> 
> http://www.gmail-is-too-creepy-com
> 
> On a side note, when asked what I felt about Gmail, I responded as so:
> 
> That is an interesting link, however there are a few things that need to
> be addressed:
> 
> There is an issue that I have with 'Problem 4' on that page.
> Problem 4: Inappropriate ad matching
> 
> We don't use Gmail, but it is safe to assume that the ad matching is no
> better in Gmail, than it is in news articles that use contextual ad
> feeds from Google. Here's a screen shot that shows an inappropriate
> placement of Google ads in a news article. We also read about a lawyer
> who is experimenting with Gmail. He sent himself a message, and
> discovered that the law practice footer he uses at the bottom of all of
> his email triggered an ad for a competing law firm.
> 
> The screen shot that he is referring to is a bit odd as Google is not
> geting the information from the news site but rather Doubleclick. It's
> doubleclick that is not passing the correct information to Google for
> processing. It's also worth mentioning that the screenshot is NOT a shot
> of Gmail but rather that of some news site. Gmail's ads are much less
> unobtrousive and take up about as much as an inch wide by three inch
> deep box on the right hand side of the mail you are reading.
> 
> The Gmail ad targeting appears to be far superior than that of news
> sites (primarially because Google serves the ads not spyware-infested
> Doubleclick,etc..) and is usually head-on with the topic of discussion.
> Imagine my shock when talking to a friend about a firewire lattice
> network I see ads describing firewire hardware and custom-length
> cabling. Usually (in the case of Yahoo) their ads are mostly for the
> University of Phoneix, Morgatgage your house, and ink toner refills.
> 
> Another issue that the page doesn't mention is that MSN, Hotmail, Yahoo
> Mail and the other free services all use advertising as well A lot of it
> is targeted against the content of the message that you happen to be
> reading at the time. This has been proven time and time again to be
> wildly inaccurate. What does home mortgages have to do with a server
> log?
> 
> If these people don't like Gmail's TOS, why aren't they quoting the old
> version versus the new versions? Have these people looked at Yahoo's
> TOS?
> 
> This is Yahoo's TOS:
> 
> They do censoring:
> You acknowledge that Yahoo! may or may not pre-screen Content, but that
> Yahoo! and its designees shall have the right (but not the obligation)
> in their sole discretion to pre-screen, refuse, or move any Content that
> is available via the Service....
> 
> They too will turn over your personally identifiable info in a
> heartbeat:
> You acknowledge, consent and agree that Yahoo! may access, preserve, and
> disclose your account information and Content if required to do so by
> law or in a good faith belief that such access preservation or
> disclosure is reasonably necessary to: (a) comply with legal process;
> (b) enforce the TOS; (c) respond to claims that any Content violates the
> rights of third-parties; (d) respond to your requests for customer
> service; or (e) protect the rights, property, or personal safety of
> Yahoo!, its users and the public.....
> 
> If pushed, they can tell you what you can and can not do with your
> information:
> You understand that the Service and software embodied within the Service
> may include security components that permit digital materials to be
> protected, and use of these materials is subject to usage rules set by
> Yahoo! and/or content providers who provide content to the Service.....
> 
> Yahoo's privacy statement can be found at http://privacy.yahoo.com To
> those of you reading Yahoo through Outlook or other HTML based email
> client might want to reconsider if privacy is a big thing. Yahoo freely
> admits to using 'web beacons' which are a way of telling when/if a
> message has been opened, by whom and how many times it has been
> forwarded, etc.
> Details on web beacons can be found here:
> http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us/pixels/details.html
> 
> If these people really want to nitpick, the only way to have guaranteed
> security with your email would be to buy a dedicated server, load it up
> with a monster-sized HD and let it send and receive email. That way you
> don't have to worry about your email client working against you, but
> what about the people who read it.
> 
> I'm open to discussion however I'm afraid that this is more
> sensationalist than the issue really is.
> 
> What are your thoughts?
> 
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-- 
Jeremy