Google Reads Your Mails?!!

I still like Gmail for its features and convenience but when it comes to security and privacy issues, there are major concerns…

It reads all your mails!!! In order to generate ad-based revenues, they scan the text of all incoming messages and place targeted ads, which can be seen at the right sidebar of the mail screen!!

In response to the criticism of privacy advocates, they respond by saying “we’re nice, trust us” or point to the company’s mission statement of “do no evil.” Is this the price we should pay for using some free web service?? are we ready to put our privacy at stake for 6 GB free space!!

If this doesn’t scare you, consider the company’s confused retention policy: “Google has not set specific, finite limits on how long it will retain user account, email, and transactional data. And Google has not set clear written policies about its data sharing between business units.”

Google’s cookie is an index for all your searches, and sits alongside an Orkut cookie that tells Google exactly who you are. The contents of your Gmail account also are stored and maintained on Google servers in order to provide the services. How about this, “Google has all our data even after we delete it from our mailbox or even after we terminate our account!!” They might create large repositories of personal data that could possibly be shared inappropriately.

Here is how Google puts it

Google processes personal information on our servers in the United States of America and in other countries. In some cases, we process personal information on a server outside your own country. We may process personal information to provide our own services. In some cases, we may process personal information on behalf of and according to the instructions of a third party, such as our advertising partners.

HERE is the letter sent by privacy groups to Google’s cofounders which says,

1. First, Google must suspend its implementation of scanning the full text of emails for determining ad placement.

2. Second, Google must clarify its information retention and data correlation policy amongst its business units, partners, and affiliates. This means that Google must set clear data retention and deletion dates and establish detailed written policies about data sharing and correlation amongst its business units and partners.

So, the next time when you the services of Google, Think before you act!!