Recently Google released their new terms of service for the very popular Gmail service. Though most people don't actually read these terms, maybe you should. Whether you are in favor of email scanning or not, you will learn Google's official position on the matter. The practice of email scanning is not new, it has been going on for quite some time, though now companies are starting to admit it to the public.
The truth is people like to use Gmail. This is why the new TOS has frustrated so many. There are a lot of users who feel like they are being cheated from using a valuable form of email. People have a problem with freely sharing all of their information with a company that they feel is going to use the information to sell to other companies that plan to market to them.
The update appears to stem from a California judge questioning the clarity of informed consent. She stated that the terms of service at the time did not go far enough to garner an informed consent from Gmail users.
Some aspects of this new TOS are a bit more unsettling. If you read closer you will learn that anything you store on Google servers or any content you upload gives Google a worldwide license to use that content how they see fit. Supposedly all this content is done by machines and no humans actually review it.
While Google's new TOS raises some huge concerns, will it be enough to stop people from using Gmail? Only time will tell. In the meantime, if you continue to use the service be careful what you do with it.
Google has updated the TOS for Gmail to highlight what is looked for when the automated system scans incoming and outgoing emails, and explains the analysis in depth so that there can be no further confusion. Matt Kallman, a spokesman for Google, says that he hopes that the updated TOS will give users better clarity over how the system works. Google emphasizes that the analysis is automated and that it is used only to provide "personally relevant product features". The data is not stored for any other purpose.
The truth is people like to use Gmail. This is why the new TOS has frustrated so many. There are a lot of users who feel like they are being cheated from using a valuable form of email. People have a problem with freely sharing all of their information with a company that they feel is going to use the information to sell to other companies that plan to market to them.
The update appears to stem from a California judge questioning the clarity of informed consent. She stated that the terms of service at the time did not go far enough to garner an informed consent from Gmail users.
Some aspects of this new TOS are a bit more unsettling. If you read closer you will learn that anything you store on Google servers or any content you upload gives Google a worldwide license to use that content how they see fit. Supposedly all this content is done by machines and no humans actually review it.
While Google's new TOS raises some huge concerns, will it be enough to stop people from using Gmail? Only time will tell. In the meantime, if you continue to use the service be careful what you do with it.
Google has updated the TOS for Gmail to highlight what is looked for when the automated system scans incoming and outgoing emails, and explains the analysis in depth so that there can be no further confusion. Matt Kallman, a spokesman for Google, says that he hopes that the updated TOS will give users better clarity over how the system works. Google emphasizes that the analysis is automated and that it is used only to provide "personally relevant product features". The data is not stored for any other purpose.
About the Author:
YouTube.com - Magpreneur is a news review site that reveals the truths & myths by providing a Magpreneur Review.
No comments:
Post a Comment