Gmail v. Privacy
So I have heard a lot about this Gmail versus privacy issue. Gmail is this new free webbased email service that provides users with 1 gigabyte of storage. They also advocate using automated system to scan the emails and show appropriate advertisements. I fail to see how these Internet privacy groups can raise a big fuss over it. It's a FREE service, isn't it? If you don't like it, don't utilize the service. It's not the same as the government announcing that they'll be screening our emails indiscriminately. Alternatively, one can also encrypt one's emails. I've heard of some free services out there that you can utilize, but I have yet to get around to playing with that. That's the next agenda on my list--learn how to send encrypted emails. XD
Regardless, it's an individual's choice to sign up and utilize this service and to have all their personal emails stored on Gmail's server. How is that illegal? I guess it's really disturbing for some about the email-scanning thing. But frankly, as long as its only scanned by automated system, for certain keywords, I really couldn't careless. In addition, unless you are a very important person (in which case maybe you should consider not using Gmail), your emails are probably pretty boring to read. Nowadays, everybody put their journals/diaries online (you are reading one as we speak), exactly how interested are you in reading these? Hence my point.
I refer to this article titled "Gmail controversy highlights Net privacy issue" by Hiawatha Bray published on San Diego Tribule, dated Monday, May 3, 2004. (Click on this link to read entire article.) In which they've also pointed out other services such as Amazon.com or Expedia.com also store a lot of personal information. I guess, in the end, as it said in the article, "little by little, people are moving more and more of their lives onto the network... Millions of us use Web-based software to invest our savings, pay our bills, and file our tax returns." This is the trend; this is the way that we are heading. Sort of like job-outsourcing, like it or not, we can't stop it from happening. Do you really want to use snail mail/fax instead of email? Whilst a lot of people has yet to make their first online purchase, I certainly cannot live without it. So if our worry is the "centralization of personal information," then we need to look further than criticizing Gmail for our solution. The way of living is changing, and stopping the progress cannot be the solution to it. We will have to come up with more new and innovative solutions (which I do not have any suggestions of :p).
Others are also concerned about the "reliability" of the Gmail service. Um... I'm a strong believer of "beggars can't be choosers." If you want guaranteed reliability within reason, go for paid service. If you want free service, you take what they offer.
In defence for Gmail, and I quote Ari Schwartz, associate director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, a privacy think tank in Washington, D.C., "Gmail really isn't the issue. Gmail just highlights the problem."
And, on a different note, according to Richard Smith, an internet security consultant, "If you're going to commit a crime on the Internet through e-mail, you're going to go to jail. It is very, very hard to hide your traces." And that is a bad thing?
Regardless, it's an individual's choice to sign up and utilize this service and to have all their personal emails stored on Gmail's server. How is that illegal? I guess it's really disturbing for some about the email-scanning thing. But frankly, as long as its only scanned by automated system, for certain keywords, I really couldn't careless. In addition, unless you are a very important person (in which case maybe you should consider not using Gmail), your emails are probably pretty boring to read. Nowadays, everybody put their journals/diaries online (you are reading one as we speak), exactly how interested are you in reading these? Hence my point.
I refer to this article titled "Gmail controversy highlights Net privacy issue" by Hiawatha Bray published on San Diego Tribule, dated Monday, May 3, 2004. (Click on this link to read entire article.) In which they've also pointed out other services such as Amazon.com or Expedia.com also store a lot of personal information. I guess, in the end, as it said in the article, "little by little, people are moving more and more of their lives onto the network... Millions of us use Web-based software to invest our savings, pay our bills, and file our tax returns." This is the trend; this is the way that we are heading. Sort of like job-outsourcing, like it or not, we can't stop it from happening. Do you really want to use snail mail/fax instead of email? Whilst a lot of people has yet to make their first online purchase, I certainly cannot live without it. So if our worry is the "centralization of personal information," then we need to look further than criticizing Gmail for our solution. The way of living is changing, and stopping the progress cannot be the solution to it. We will have to come up with more new and innovative solutions (which I do not have any suggestions of :p).
Others are also concerned about the "reliability" of the Gmail service. Um... I'm a strong believer of "beggars can't be choosers." If you want guaranteed reliability within reason, go for paid service. If you want free service, you take what they offer.
In defence for Gmail, and I quote Ari Schwartz, associate director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, a privacy think tank in Washington, D.C., "Gmail really isn't the issue. Gmail just highlights the problem."
And, on a different note, according to Richard Smith, an internet security consultant, "If you're going to commit a crime on the Internet through e-mail, you're going to go to jail. It is very, very hard to hide your traces." And that is a bad thing?
posted by cahalan @ 22:27
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