What Google knows about you

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=337791

 

Snow, none of this is new and there are plenty of ways around their snooping. Furthermore, some of the articles "examples" are just plain stupid...emailing back and forth between you and your doctor about your medical issues? You don't do that PERIOD, regardless of whether it's Gmail, Yahoo, or whoever. Some things are not suitable for internet use, and, if you choose to do so, imho, you don't have a right to complain about it being snooped on.

 

What? I had a purple lesion on my penile glans a few yrs. back and my doctor and I did correspond via email.

 

So I can intercept your enveloped mail and wallet the next time I see you then?

 

I'm afraid that can be filed under WAY too much information, and hey, if you want your isp, email provider, and, evidently me, knowing about it, lol, well, whatever floats your boat partner.

 

Lol, did you understand a single thing I even said or are you attempting to be cute?

Edit: Look, you would have to be completely nuts to use some of these Google services knowing how they operate, for extremely sensitive issues such as health and finances. I don't care how easy it makes your life, they just are asking for a truckload of trouble. That's all I'm trying to get across to you.

 

What if I asked why you didn't use a transparent envelope for your mail, then?

 

Have a look at GZapper 2.5 from www.dummysoftware.com. It claims to safeguard one's private information from Google.

 

Am I the only one getting a headache trying to figure out the point you're trying to make? Maybe just my being tired is messing with my thinking ability, but I have no clue where you're going in this discussion. Transparent envelopes, wallets, what in gods name does this have to do with Google. Only Peter's post was able to guide me along as to your previous post, but you're going way off the path on me now.

In any case, I think I made my point clear, where you go with it isn't any of my concern.

 

Here's my point. You wrote:

"if you choose to do so, imho, you don't have a right to complain about it being snooped on."

I disagree with you. I don't think email should be snooped on. I am not arguing whether or not it is.

Email should be just like regular mail. Your regular mail has an expectation of privacy. Electronic email should as well, but doesn't.

In any event, my original posting was informational only. You took it in the "you get what you deserve" tangent.

 

One possible option. http://www.google.com/ads/preferences/plugin/

 

My "tangent" was an opinion. If you, knowing that ISPs, email services, and whoever else CAN intercept email and whatever else on the internet, then you willingly accept the risk that it WILL be intercepted, therefore you can't complain much if it DOES. Whether anyone actually does intercept your messages is irrelevant, knowing that it is POSSIBLE and still passing on very sensitive data through interceptable methods, well, again, you took that chance and you may have to face the consequences.

Whether they should be allowed to do so matters not, they are, they do, they will, and it's only going to get worse. Police, governments, crooks, they've all been looking at and creating ways to capture data from the internet since the internet began.

 

That's exactly right. There is no difference whatsoever. Except for many of us, our internet life is far more personal than the US mail that we receive....including banking, personal conversations and everything else.

Some people think that it is no big deal, but it is evidently a big deal to Google and advertisers etc.... Look at all of the hoops and devious behavior that they use to get as much of your personal as they can.

 

I don't use them but the average person does not know any better. So no....they are not crazy. Just uninformed.

 

I agree. We should have the same laws for email as we do with the US mail. It should be a felony to tamper with it.

 

Sorry, not going to buy that anymore. Data theft is EVERYWHERE in the news and media. It's not like people have to visit Wilders or elsewhere to know it exists and how rampant it is. Talking about browser security, firewalls, that kind of thing, THAT falls under uninformed. Sending/discussing extremely personal information through standard email or on online forums, is not being uninformed, it's being stupid. It's already easy enough for hackers to break into systems that store the data, why help them or some bored IT guy at your ISP get easier access to it?

 

Note: this is not a flame.

'willingly accept the risk' ? 'you can't complain much if it DOES' ?

Most people are mostly unaware about these risks. You can blame them for that, but then you can also blame them for trusting their government to rule them 'in good faith'. And you can talk about Democracy as much as you want, IMO the individual has rights, a majority vote doesn't make something that's wrong, right.

The fact is, people use email for confidential messages because it's practical, sometimes not using email is just not doable, not without a significant cost.
And usually people don't get in trouble for acting this way. That's just a fact.

Cryptography/anonimity services have their drawbacks. What is or appears safe today may not be safe tomorrow.

In many countries, avoiding the internet is just not an option.
You could try hiding in a cave in Afghanistan, but I can think of some good reasons not to

 

Oh no. You are out of touch. The huge majority of people who talk to family and friends everyday via email and chat think that their communications are private.

 

That's like saying that if you know that the school bully is likely to steal your money and you decide to go ahead and go to school anyway, and take your lunch money with you, then you can't complain much if he mugs you. People have to stand up and make a difference in the world. Otherwise, the bully gets more and more deeply entrenched in his illness.

 

If you don't want people snoopin on you wile your on the Internet, use a VPN service such as XeroBank, ShadowVPN, or use one from the list of others found in various post and threads on this forum, everything you do on the net that doesn't use https is unsecured regardless unless you take further steps to protecting your privacy, who cares about Gmail, most likely your ISP is recording your every move anyways, and you agreed to their terms of service when you signed up with them, and put your signature on their contract...

If you don't like the way Gmail does things, then use another Email Provider, theirs only hundreds of them out their, and in so many different countries to choose from, + you have the option to Encrypt your Email using PGP or Gpg4win, so mabee its time to start taking actions toward protecting yourself instead of just arguing about it! Bam and your problem will be solved

 

Amen to that Warlockz.