Google Updates Terms Of Service To Confirm Scanning Emails
Recently Google released their new terms of service for the very popular Gmail service. Though most people don't actually read these terms, maybe you should. Whether you are in favor of email scanning or not, you will learn Google's official position on the matter. The practice of email scanning is not new, it has been going on for quite some time, though now companies are starting to admit it to the public.
The truth is people like to use Gmail. This is why the new TOS has frustrated so many. There are a lot of users who feel like they are being cheated from using a valuable form of email. People have a problem with freely sharing all of their information with a company that they feel is going to use the information to sell to other companies that plan to market to them.
The update appears to stem from a California judge questioning the clarity of informed consent. She stated that the terms of service at the time did not go far enough to garner an informed consent from Gmail users.
There are currently people in court fighting against Google to get rid of the new TOS. You do not want your information to be looked at freely, and neither do they. For now you are going to have to only send emails with information you are comfortable with sharing when using Gmail.
While Google's new TOS raises some huge concerns, will it be enough to stop people from using Gmail? Only time will tell. In the meantime, if you continue to use the service be careful what you do with it.
According to the TOS, emails are scanned while they are on Google's own services, and also while they are in transit. The news has not been well received, with many privacy campaigners expressing anger at the perceived invasion of user privacy. In the United States, there have been several suits filed against Google, but the courts have declined to combine those suits into a single class action suit at this time.
The truth is people like to use Gmail. This is why the new TOS has frustrated so many. There are a lot of users who feel like they are being cheated from using a valuable form of email. People have a problem with freely sharing all of their information with a company that they feel is going to use the information to sell to other companies that plan to market to them.
The update appears to stem from a California judge questioning the clarity of informed consent. She stated that the terms of service at the time did not go far enough to garner an informed consent from Gmail users.
There are currently people in court fighting against Google to get rid of the new TOS. You do not want your information to be looked at freely, and neither do they. For now you are going to have to only send emails with information you are comfortable with sharing when using Gmail.
While Google's new TOS raises some huge concerns, will it be enough to stop people from using Gmail? Only time will tell. In the meantime, if you continue to use the service be careful what you do with it.
According to the TOS, emails are scanned while they are on Google's own services, and also while they are in transit. The news has not been well received, with many privacy campaigners expressing anger at the perceived invasion of user privacy. In the United States, there have been several suits filed against Google, but the courts have declined to combine those suits into a single class action suit at this time.
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