News Google faces Gmail advert limits

This from the Beeb:

US politicians have taken the first steps towards imposing restrictions on Google's Gmail service.

Citing privacy worries, Californian senators have approved a bill that limits Google's plans to scan messages and include ads based on what it finds.

Google said it was working with law-makers on a way to both answer privacy concerns and run a viable service.

Before becoming law the bill will go to California's Assembly for further discussion and possible amendment.

Full report here

Why? If you have concerns over your privacy - DONT USE THE SERVICE!

 

Another case of people who have absolutely no idea what they are talking about having too much power

 

definitely! it seems almost as if they think google will start scanning all emails ever sent throughout the world if they dont put a stop to it!

No one will be forced to use gmail, if you want the gig of storage for 'free' sign up and get ads, if not dont!

RoB

 

Because they'd hate to think that someone else could do it....

 

tis a good point, but at least they dont put annoying ads into it.....

RoB

 

BWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

Oh man, that's rich. Almost ASKING someone to hack her ISP and record the sites she visits (or use the ISPs software to view the sites she's visited). Private and secure, yeah right.

I'm thinking we should all email her and explain why gmail should be allowed to exist and why they should not be allowed to kill the project before it starts.
If you guys want I'll even draft something up and post it here so you can just copy it, change whatever you want, put your name on it, and send it...

 

Please do... seeing as the other option is wrong and all

 

this is supposed to protect the 50 yr olds who don't know what ctrl+C does and aren't aware their e-mails are being scanned. I really don't see the problem though, E-mail security is non existent anyway.

if they're so worried about privacy, how about limiting microshaft's anti piracy features planned for longhorn? or out-lawing spyware?

 

or even tell the TCPA to go **** themselves.

 

I second that my good man!

 

these people are computer illiterate though arent they, they dont understand, and for sake of argument dont WANT to understand! They dont understand sending your credit card details over the net, CAN be more secure then giving it to a person at a supermarket! there just stupid, and almost demand things to fall into line with what they want. The law's stupid, and has stupid people running it!

 

I recommend a good read of a few issues of 2600...

The fact is, 99% of the population has absolutely no interest in technology. It's a scary, evil, communist thing and they're just SURE hackers all over the world are watching just waiting for them to enter their administrator password so the hacker can steal their credit card number!

The only hope is to educate. It's a long, hard battle, but unless we want to be trapped in lead rooms to use our computers, a battle that must be fought. We have to email senators/congressmen and at least *try* to inform them. It's the only hope... until it gets too bad, then we'll have to be internet pirates with our laptops and wifi cards, rolling town to town searching for a temporary dogfood can antenna to connect to the forums on.

edit: here's my letter:


Dear Senator Figueroa,
After reading your comments to BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3756603.stm ) on Google's Gmail service, I am slightly worried that you don't fully understand the service, or the implications of any law forbidding the service. You see, Mrs. Figueroa, Google is doing what they do best. They are finding a service that most people use, advancing it, and capitalizing on it. While I do think some limitation needs to be included to prevent an absolute breech of privacy, I believe that Gmail users are very capable of deciding whether or not they wish to have their mail read by a computer. I think that Google should have to make it very clear that users mail will be read, and possibly make Google exclude incoming mail from the service so email will not be read without the user's full knowledge. But to cancel such a program before it starts, in my opinion, is a great breech in American capitalist ideals. Gmail is just like any other product, if the public fears a computer scanning their messages, they shouldn't use the service. It's the very same ideal as food you dislike. Say you hear a report on the news about 700 cattle being found with BSE in your area, it's still your choice as to whether you want to go to McDonalds or KFC. In the same spirit, I suggest users should have the choice to use or not use Gmail, so long as it is very clear what the scanning computers will do and how available the email will be to human eyes.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
<Your Name>

 

nice letter Ubermich although the wrong kind of breach.

RoB

 

send it ubermich.see what she replies with.

 

yep yep yep. the problem isn't that all peoples e-mails are being scanned, the problem is that some poeple will sign up for this service without knowing or understanding that/why their emails are being scanned. its these people who need to be "protected".

While it may well seem stupid there is <i>some</i> merit to it. Just think if i started a email service and in my disclaimer/privacy policy or whatever i said that i am gathering user information and archiving all your mesages for myself. If you dont like my service then dont use it. but then what of those people who signed up without looking into it/reading my policys? That may seem like its the users fault for not reading, but you cant just that go on even if it is the persons own dumb fault.

that being said gmail isnt collecting information and is basicaly only processing it, so what this really comes down to is people not trusing computers/ thingking hackers can get anything or computers are spying on you. Ya know like the way my friends parents wont use a credit card online because they dont think its safe...

 

Doh! This is why I shouldn't write letters in the 5 minutes I have before I go to work

I got a generic "I'm not going to waste my time reading your mail so I'll just send this generic 'I'm not going to waste my time reading your mail'" reply. I'm going to email back to the address that one came from and see what happens...

 

I'm all for the gmail thing esp with the 1gb of storage but i do see one problem (i could be wrong though). What if an email is sent to you by someone who doesn't want it scanned (bot or otherwise). Its fine if the incoming mail is left out but what happens when you forward on that email or reply back. Will it then be scanned?

 

If you want them to actually listen to you you'll need to send them a letter. Politicians dont pay any attention to emails, but if they get 50 hard copies of a real letter they might actually read one of them.

Sam

 

How about if you don't want your email scanned don't use email? (Or at least don't email to a gmail addy!) Many of my emails pass through spam and virus filters before they reach their destination, I don't care if they scan them for content-related ads.

 

I've suddenly seen a reason why G-Mail might be bad... I'm still in favour of it, but there's a point here that I don't think anyone has mentioned.

Start hypothetical situation here...

Say I'm one of those paranoid web users who doesn't trust Google. Fair enough, I don't use G-Mail. However, all my friends think it's great - they've all got accounts, and don't use the old ones anymore.
Now, if I send a private message to one of my friends, the message will be "looked at" by G-Mail - even though I've never agreed to any such thing! Not only that, but (to take the paranoia one stage further) G-Mail will be looking at every message that I get from one of my friends on their service.

End hypothetical situation...

Personally, I don't mind Google using automatic systems to scan my mail and insert ads. I won't be using the service, but that's just because I've got a fairly decent email system already. However, the "problem" is that even people who haven't chosen to have their messages scanned will do (for some messages) if they send to or recieve from other G-Mail users.

Oh, and how annoying would it be if I was telling a prospective client about my product, and Google inserted an ad for a competitors?!

PS. Just wondering, will G-Mail insert ads on incoming, outgoing or all mail? If "all", will G-Mail to G-Mail get twice the ads?

Edit: Sorry ShRT - didn't see your message!