Registered: Jul 2000
Location: zanzibar
Posts: 10477

quote:

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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A California state senator on Monday said she was drafting legislation to block Google Inc.'s free e-mail service "Gmail" because it would place advertising in personal messages after searching them for key words.

"We think it's an absolute invasion of privacy. It's like having a massive billboard in the middle of your home," Sen. Liz Figueroa, a Democrat from Fremont, California, told Reuters in a telephone interview.

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location:
Posts: 16728

as long as there is full disclosure I dont see the issue.

I wouldnt use it for some of the reason's sighted, but I dont think it should be banned...much like butt plugs.

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Registered: Mar 2004
Location: USA
Posts: 24797

The problem here is more related to the Senator's lack of iron than anything else. I can assure you that were Ms. Liz to have the proper manhole cover inserted into the proper orifice then thrown in for a swim over the Marianas Trench, she would gain a whole knew perspective on the matter. Call me pragmatic.

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: The Bottom of the Toyem Pole
Posts: 9455

I have other ideas of things to call you that would fit better, actually.

Yeah, bad legislation again. If they're going to legislate anything, make it an easy to read and understand (concise, unlike my phrasing), full disclosure, user agreement. Not that anyone reads EULAs anyway. The strategy of numbing people to the license agreement in order to turn everyone into automatic "I agree" clickers worked well enough, and now a company could insert anything into their EULA, up to and including "you must sacrifice your first born on an alter crafted of rhinoceros horn" and people would be agreeing to it all over the place.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 10231

the basic premise of this, as I understand it, is google mail will offer a crapload of storage space (something like 2 gigs, which, by current free email standards, is a crapload) with the idea that you should never have to delete email. It also provides the google search for your email box so you can search your email archive. The part of this that the privacy freaks FUD about is they may use keywords found in your email to display ads you may be interested, rather than a random assortment.

I have no problem with this, and I do have a problem with people who do have a problem with this. I have a problem with all privacy fanatics who are essentially raving lunatics, possibly barred up in cabins with guns while peering out between the blinds with their gun barrel, looking for the man. There's no invasion of privacy here, there's not a 19 year old pimply-faced geek at Google HQ reading through your emails. they plan on 'reading' your emails to the extent that this webserver 'reads' your posts, or pms. it's a computer program which analyzes the character strings, and might see the word 'flowerpots' in alot of your emails, so it may show you an ad for a flowerpot vendor.

You can still ignore the ads like any other, but you know what? you might end up getting a deal on something you were gonna buy anyway, and you win, and google wins, and the advertiser wins. I think, because of spammers and spyware vendors and other shady advertisers, an attitude here might be "anything that helps to validate advertising of any kind is evil". These aren't the spammers or sleazy advertisers though, theyre legitimate advertisers who are paying good money to place their ad.

When it all comes down to it, theres a tradeoff whenever you get anything for free. Anyone can always pay $10/month for email, but some would rather scream about how the free ones invade their privacy, and try to prevent those who don't have anxiety issues from benefitting, purportedly in the best interest of everyone.

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: The Bottom of the Toyem Pole
Posts: 9455

Right on, dingle. Google's paid-for advertising as it is is pretty good, unobtrusive and all that. I have no opposition to advertising per se, but in my mind, advertising should be more of a "we've got a deal for you" service rather than "we will make you want what we have" assault/ manipulation.

I'd much rather have occasional subtle ads than spam and flash shit.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Location Location
Posts: 26420

Good post Dingle.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 10231

a pretty good, although still a bit paranoid, article regarding this
http://www.templetons.com/brad/gmail.html

Last edited by Dingle on 04-22-2004 at 06:17 AM

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 5526

Thanks much, Dingle.

I was just reading Tim O'Reilly's take and finding it a little too rosy for my taste, but I'm interested in the paradigm shift aspect: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/4707

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: zanzibar
Posts: 10477

Ha, stupidity wins.

quote:

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Calif. tries to limit Google's Gmail

State senate supports a bill setting restrictions for the e-mail service over privacy concerns.
May 27, 2004: 7:11 PM EDT

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California's Senate voted Thursday to support a bill to limit a new e-mail service by Google Inc. over concerns it could threaten the privacy of users.

California's state Senate approved the first-of-its-kind bill by a vote of 24-8 to restrict how Mountain View, California-based Google's upcoming free "Gmail" service could work once it is available in wide distribution.

The No. 1 Web search company's Gmail service, which will be supported by advertising and free for users when it launches for the public, is currently in beta testing.

Google had intended the service to scan e-mail for key words and concepts and use them to place targeted advertisements in personal messages.

The bill by Democratic state Sen. Liz Figueroa would require Gmail to work only in real-time and would bar the service from producing records.

The bill also would bar Gmail form collecting personal information from e-mails and giving any information to third parties.

Figueroa's bill now goes to California's Assembly.

A Google representative could not immediately be reached for comment.

Industry analysts see Gmail as a key product for privately held Google because it could boost revenues from advertisers and expand the company's business as it nears its widely anticipated initial public offering of stock.

The move by Google into e-mail comes amid increasing competition from Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Division, MSN, which built strong user bases around free e-mail services and have been attacking Google's prominence as a Web search service.

Google fought back by adding a price-comparison shopping tool to its services and a new site exclusively offering news.

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Registered: Feb 2003
Location: Oceanside, CA
Posts: 5156

While I personally think their proposed restrictions are reasonable, I agree that it's not the government's place to do this. Nobody is being forced to use GMail, there are plenty of alternatives, and what they will be doing with your email is freely disclosed. There's no need to tell them that they can't make their product in a certain way.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 10231

quote:

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This is bad, bad, bad.

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Registered: May 2004
Location: the Fix It Shop
Posts: 9

So I use Gmail and I end up with "a massive billboard in the middle of your home"
Cool, bring it on. I need a place to hang more pictures and stuff.

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