By Ahmad Faisal
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.
On the other hand, at least they are being honest about what they are doing. No doubt other email services are doing exactly the same thing but haven't even informed their customers they are doing so. Google says they are scanning your email to look for spam, malware, and provide you with customized search results. Those are the ads you see when you surf the web that feature products you were just looking at online or stores you have visited.
It would seem that Google hasn't resolved every issue in question involving this matter. People who send email to Gmail users would have no way of knowing that their emails are being scanned by Google, as they do not receive the TOS updates.
Again, no matter which side of the debate you are on, Google has plainly stated it's intentions of scanning emails of their Gmail users, both outgoing and incoming. If you have not read the official terms of service yet, perhaps you should. The larger controversy lies with non-Gmail users who have no knowledge of these practices. Many people, though irate about it, simply chalk it up to more lost privacy as a result of the ever invasive Google.
Google has updated the TOS for Gmail to highlight what is looked for when the automated system scans incoming and outgoing emails, and explains the analysis in depth so that there can be no further confusion. Matt Kallman, a spokesman for Google, says that he hopes that the updated TOS will give users better clarity over how the system works. Google emphasizes that the analysis is automated and that it is used only to provide "personally relevant product features". The data is not stored for any other purpose.
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.
On the other hand, at least they are being honest about what they are doing. No doubt other email services are doing exactly the same thing but haven't even informed their customers they are doing so. Google says they are scanning your email to look for spam, malware, and provide you with customized search results. Those are the ads you see when you surf the web that feature products you were just looking at online or stores you have visited.
It would seem that Google hasn't resolved every issue in question involving this matter. People who send email to Gmail users would have no way of knowing that their emails are being scanned by Google, as they do not receive the TOS updates.
Again, no matter which side of the debate you are on, Google has plainly stated it's intentions of scanning emails of their Gmail users, both outgoing and incoming. If you have not read the official terms of service yet, perhaps you should. The larger controversy lies with non-Gmail users who have no knowledge of these practices. Many people, though irate about it, simply chalk it up to more lost privacy as a result of the ever invasive Google.
Google has updated the TOS for Gmail to highlight what is looked for when the automated system scans incoming and outgoing emails, and explains the analysis in depth so that there can be no further confusion. Matt Kallman, a spokesman for Google, says that he hopes that the updated TOS will give users better clarity over how the system works. Google emphasizes that the analysis is automated and that it is used only to provide "personally relevant product features". The data is not stored for any other purpose.
About the Author:
Facebook.com - Magpreneur is a social media site aimed at uncovering the advantages & disadvantages by providing an insightful Magpreneur Review.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment