Want some honesty and transparency?
Here's some
Consumer Watchdog, the advocacy group that uncovered the filing, called the revelation a “stunning admission.” It comes as Google and its peers are under pressure to explain their role in the National Security Agency’s (NSA) mass surveillance of US citizens and foreign nationals.
“Google has finally admitted they don’t respect privacy,” said John Simpson, Consumer Watchdog’s privacy project director. “People should take them at their word; if you care about your email correspondents’ privacy, don’t use Gmail.”
This reportedly stems from a lawsuit recently that accused Google of violating laws against "wire taps" in it's effort to snoop in your email to target ads at you, something that has been going on a long time with the giant corporation that USED to say "Don't be Evil".
In its motion to dismiss the case, Google said the plaintiffs were making “an attempt to criminalize ordinary business practices” that have been part of Gmail’s service since its introduction. Google said “all users of email must necessarily expect that their emails will be subject to automated processing.”
Google then cites the example that the Post Office delivers a letter to a businessman and it is opened by the business-person's assistant or employee.
This line of rationalization was stomped on pretty good:
[Consumer Watchdog head John] Simpson, a long-term Google critic, said: “Google’s brief uses a wrong-headed analogy; sending an email is like giving a letter to the Post Office. I expect the Post Office to deliver the letter based on the address written on the envelope. I don’t expect the mail carrier to open my letter and read it.
Metadata, such as when sent, where, sent how often something is sent from person a to person b, is one thing: Google is fully and systematically reading your e-mail.
I am unaware, at this point, what can be done to find some e-mail service that is more private - there may be none.
But I am now officially in search of a better email service. I hate targeted ads primarily because I don't like ads to begin with, but I really hate this idea that directing ads to me is a "service to me". It's not.
And it's spying on me. I don't need to be spied on, spying on me doesn't protect anybody, it doesn't solve a thing, it's a complete waste of time.
We need a Bill of Rights to protect us from intrusions of corporations, too.