I know nothing's private on the internet.

I was just surprised to learn that Google reads your emails including attachments just on the fly.

Here's how I found out: My wife forwarded me a PDF itinerary of a trip we're planning. Just a couple of hours later, I get this notice. And the times are apparently adjusted for the different time zones.

While it's convenient for me, it was also an eye opener.

Yep. It's why if you don't have ad block or similar and you mention something, you might start seeing ads for it.

Yes this has been pretty well known for years. I'm sure there have been posts about this in the past.

I'm surprised this is new to you.

Gmail reads my emails, and predicts fast responses for me that I can fire off with the touch of a button. Things like "See you there!" and "That's fine with me" to emails where itineraries are being discussed.

"reads" is not exactly the right word for it. More like, "Filters" for dates and triggers events to provide benefit to you. Or, even in the profit-oriented motive, it filters for cue words then references its ad bank for best fit ads. Still not too bad in my book for an amazing email application provided at no direct financial cost, with incredible built in malware and spam filters, a nearly limitless storage capability and a list of other benefits too long to list here.

I'm a fan. I wish Apple could deliver such a service, as I'd prefer to be in one web ecosphere.

I like this feature and use Gmail exclusively.

quote:

Originally posted by comet24:
Yes this has been pretty well known for years. I'm sure there have been posts about this in the past.

Yeah, but...

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:

quote:

Originally posted by comet24:
Yes this has been pretty well known for years. I'm sure there have been posts about this in the past.

Yeah, but...

Is that why monkeys have hairy palms?

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:

quote:

Originally posted by comet24:
Yes this has been pretty well known for years. I'm sure there have been posts about this in the past.

Yeah, but...

I seriously just choked on a cookie I was eating. Hahahaha, that's funny!

quote:

Originally posted by Fenris:...
Is that why monkeys have hairy palms?

I don't know if mine are hairy, I can't see very well any more...

It has to read (parse - in programmer speak) the text to find the Dates/etc.

Who knows what all they're doing with it beyond grabbing the Dates, that's just one aspect we know about. They also grab brand names and such to help with targeted ads.

But they definitely read/scan/parse every bit of it, as it's the only way to do what they do.

We complain when the government spies on us, but it's perfectly ok if Google does it.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
We complain when the government spies on us, but it's perfectly ok if Google does it.

Next google will be schedulilng your state mandated suicide and the people will just show up. OKAY, i couldn't resist.

One is not required to use google, though its becoming more and more a requirement as everything says "sign up with google."

You could run all your emails through ProtonMail which is a secure email out of Switzerland.

From a macro level you have to understand that everything will be driven by the big 3 technology giants: Google, Facebook, Amazon. They want to make it so easy to buy things you wouldnt do it any other way.

This is why I do not use G-mail for my regular e-mail. I have a G-mail account only because you now have to have one for Facebook and You Tube.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
We complain when the government spies on us, but it's perfectly ok if Google does it.

That's why it was a surprise to me.

I accepted the theoretical academic "the government can read your email" and "nothing is private on the internet."

But I figured no one's going to give a sh*t about my emails unless I use "trigger" words or if someone was targeting me. But I'm of no interest to anyone.

Color me surprised now.

quote:

Originally posted by SIG 229R:
This is why I do not use G-mail for my regular e-mail. I have a G-mail account only because you now have to have one for Facebook and You Tube.

If Gmail can do it, what makes you think other email services aren't doing the same thing except maybe showing you that they are doing it?

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
I know nothing's private on the internet.

That is not strictly true. I know this is popular amongst people who don't understand How Things Work, and can't be sussed to learn, but, it's manifestly false.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
I was just surprised to learn that Google reads your emails including attachments just on the fly.

That's been common knowledge since Gmail Day One.

Here's the thing with freemail (which is what Gmail is), and any other service on the Internet/WWW that you get for free: If you aren't paying for it: You're not the customer. You're the product.

Google's primary revenue stream is advertising. You aren't paying a penny to use the services they supply. Extrapolate.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
If Gmail can do it, what makes you think other email services aren't doing the same thing except maybe showing you that they are doing it?

Read the TOS (Terms Of Service). It'll be disclosed. It's in Gmail's TOS. (Which, I'm guessing, you did not read.)

People hardly ever read the TOS or Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), then get SURPRISED! when they later find there was something in there that allowed <whomever> to do <such-and-such>.

E.g.: Against my better judgement, I bought a Samsung Blue-ray player. I'd read they had an onerous TOS, so I read it extra carefully. "Hmmm... This looks pretty boiler-plate," I said to myself. Then I went to activate the streaming services... and there it was. Nicely-buried, too. Essentially, by agreeing to their terms I would give them the right to collect all my usage data, including the viewing of DVDs, BDs, CDs, what-have-you, and share it with whomever they wanted, as many times as they wanted, for as long as they wanted.

It went back to the store. (I'll never have another Samsung "smart" anything in my home again.)

Unless you truly go "offgrid" all of your information is out there many times over.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
We complain when the government spies on us, but it's perfectly ok if Google does it.

Then don't use Google or Gmail. You chose to use a companies products (more than likely for free) and then complain because you don't like their business practices or how their products operate?

We don't have a choice in Government (outside of elections) but we do have a choice in who we use for email and search functions.

quote:

Originally posted by LBTRS:

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
We complain when the government spies on us, but it's perfectly ok if Google does it.

Then don't use Google or Gmail. You chose to use a companies products (more than likely for free) and then complain because you don't like their business practices or how their products operate?

We don't have a choice in Government (outside of elections) but we do have a choice in who we use for email and search functions.

Typical canned, predictable response.

Yeah sure, as if people nowadays can choose not to be spied on by Amazon, Google, Apple, etc. Nonsense.

Unless you live in a cabin on a mountain like Ted Kaczynski, these companies are collecting your data whether you like it or not.