MicroBurn
April 13th, 2004, 11:38 PM
I wasn't sure on where to put this, I figured here would be a good place. Anyways, it's been a topic of discussion on UnE IRC, and I'd just to tell everyone my views and comments on Gmail and the fuss around it, and I'd like to hear back. ;-)
First, from http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/04/13/block.gmail.reut/index.html
"We think it's an absolute invasion of privacy. It's like having a massive billboard in the middle of your home," Sen. Liz Figueroa, a Democrat from Fremont, California, said in a telephone interview.
Did they take a look at any other sites? There are tonnes and tonnes of sites with huges ads on their site. For example this one. Right now, as I am writing this there is an advertisement for Microsoft Office, telling me I can get the evaluation kit for it. I assume they mean Office 2003. So, it's allowed for some sites, but other sites that set cookies to track you, even when you arn't on their site, and track what you're looking at on other sites, is okay? And it's okay to have huge half page ads that make IE, or any other browser for that matter, run at much more RAM that us needed? But it's not okay, to give someone an email service, in which they agreed to all the Terms of Service, and Privacy Police agreements, to have a simple javascript pick up what the page says, and feed back ads related to this? That's what Google's AdSense does now. I know, because I use it for Unerror.
Another thing, from both the site mentioned above, and http://www.linuxsecurity.com/articles/privacy_article-9178.html
In late March, the world's No. 1 Web search company announced plans to launch Gmail -- a service that would offer users 1 gigabyte of free storage, more than 100 times the storage offered by other free services from Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp.
Could the whole legal disagreement be brought on by Microsoft, because another major corperation is challenging Hotmail? 1 gigs of space is a pretty sweet deal compared to the measly 2 megs that Microsoft offers with Hotmail isn't it?
But in return for the extra storage, users would agree to let Google's technology scan their incoming e-mail, then deliver targeted ads based on key words in the messages.
Excatly, they have to agree, they know full and well that Google is doing that, or else they shouldn't agree to the Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy.
European groups recently lodged a complaint with UK authorities, charging that Gmail may violate Europe's privacy laws because it stores messages where users cannot permanently delete them. Europe's privacy protection laws give consumers the right to retain control over their communications.
This however is one thing I don't fully agree with. I think the users should be able to wipe the emails that are deleted off the system for good. Mind you at giving 1 gig a user away, I think Google will have some type pf purge system to get rid of the old emails.
Personally, I will use Gmail, and I don't have a problem with ads suited to me and the email I'm setting on the AdSense ads that will be displayed above the emails. If you don't want Google to keep messages sent to you, registered another email address somewheres, and use that for personal or business. It's simple.
Peace
MB
First, from http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/04/13/block.gmail.reut/index.html
"We think it's an absolute invasion of privacy. It's like having a massive billboard in the middle of your home," Sen. Liz Figueroa, a Democrat from Fremont, California, said in a telephone interview.
Did they take a look at any other sites? There are tonnes and tonnes of sites with huges ads on their site. For example this one. Right now, as I am writing this there is an advertisement for Microsoft Office, telling me I can get the evaluation kit for it. I assume they mean Office 2003. So, it's allowed for some sites, but other sites that set cookies to track you, even when you arn't on their site, and track what you're looking at on other sites, is okay? And it's okay to have huge half page ads that make IE, or any other browser for that matter, run at much more RAM that us needed? But it's not okay, to give someone an email service, in which they agreed to all the Terms of Service, and Privacy Police agreements, to have a simple javascript pick up what the page says, and feed back ads related to this? That's what Google's AdSense does now. I know, because I use it for Unerror.
Another thing, from both the site mentioned above, and http://www.linuxsecurity.com/articles/privacy_article-9178.html
In late March, the world's No. 1 Web search company announced plans to launch Gmail -- a service that would offer users 1 gigabyte of free storage, more than 100 times the storage offered by other free services from Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp.
Could the whole legal disagreement be brought on by Microsoft, because another major corperation is challenging Hotmail? 1 gigs of space is a pretty sweet deal compared to the measly 2 megs that Microsoft offers with Hotmail isn't it?
But in return for the extra storage, users would agree to let Google's technology scan their incoming e-mail, then deliver targeted ads based on key words in the messages.
Excatly, they have to agree, they know full and well that Google is doing that, or else they shouldn't agree to the Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy.
European groups recently lodged a complaint with UK authorities, charging that Gmail may violate Europe's privacy laws because it stores messages where users cannot permanently delete them. Europe's privacy protection laws give consumers the right to retain control over their communications.
This however is one thing I don't fully agree with. I think the users should be able to wipe the emails that are deleted off the system for good. Mind you at giving 1 gig a user away, I think Google will have some type pf purge system to get rid of the old emails.
Personally, I will use Gmail, and I don't have a problem with ads suited to me and the email I'm setting on the AdSense ads that will be displayed above the emails. If you don't want Google to keep messages sent to you, registered another email address somewheres, and use that for personal or business. It's simple.
Peace
MB