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Privacy

Consumer Watchdog investigations and advocacy on data privacy, surveillance, AI, and your right to control your personal information.
Google Tells US Court: Gmail Users Can’t Expect Privacy

Google Tells US Court: Gmail Users Can’t Expect Privacy

<p><strong>A lawsuit says the tech giant is breaking the law when it scans emails to target adverts to users</strong></p> <p>Users of Google’s email service Gmail should have no “legitimate expectation” that their emails will remain private, the company has said in a submission to a US court.</p> <div class="storyContent"> <div class="body" style="text-align:justify;"> <p>Consumer Watchdog (CW), a US pressure group, described Google’s statement as a “stunning admission” of the extent to which internet users’ privacy is compromised.</p>
Google Defends Practice Of Scanning E-mails

Google Defends Practice Of Scanning E-mails

<p>Google said in a court filing that its users "cannot be surprised" the company regularly accesses their e-mails.</p> <p>Consumer Watchdog, the organization that unearthed the documents, called this a "stunning admission."</p> <p>"Google has finally admitted they don't respect privacy," Consumer Watchdog spokesman John M. Simpson said in a statement. "People should take them at their word; if you care about your e-mail correspondents' privacy, don't use Gmail."</p>
Google Makes Sweeping Anti-Privacy Argument In Gmail Case

Google Makes Sweeping Anti-Privacy Argument In Gmail Case

<p>When Google first rolled out Gmail in 2004, the company's decision to monetize the service by serving targeted ads raised concerns of privacy watchdogs.</p> <p>The Electronic Privacy Information Center questioned Google's practice, as did a coalition of other organizations. At one point, a California lawmaker proposed legislation to ban email providers from scanning emails. The measure never gained any traction, and concerns about the privacy implications of serving ads based on keywords in messages largely faded.</p>
Gmail Users Do Not Have A Reasonable Expectation Of Privacy, Says Google

Gmail Users Do Not Have A Reasonable Expectation Of Privacy, Says Google

<p><b>Google denied that it violates consumers' privacy when it reads e-mails, according to court documents</b></p> <p>Gmail users and their contacts have no reasonable expectation that their correspondences will not be scanned for the purpose of targeting advertising, according to a <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Google+Inc." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_self" title="Title: Google Inc.">Google</a> <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/googlemotion061313.pdf" target="_self" rel="noopener">court document</a>.</p>
Gmail Users Have “No Reasonable Expectation” Of Privacy

Gmail Users Have “No Reasonable Expectation” Of Privacy

<p><b>Google admits in filing that email users should not be surprised that the company processes communications</b></p> <p>As <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/06/11/the_dangerous_ethics_behind_googles_transparency_claims/">I have noted here before</a>, it is worth remembering that as recently as 2009, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said, “If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place.”</p>
Oh Google. Of Course Email Users Expect Privacy — You Promised It To Them

Oh Google. Of Course Email Users Expect Privacy — You Promised It To Them

<p>The California-based advocacy group <a href="http://gigaom.com/2012/08/31/why-google-shouldnt-have-to-admit-its-privacy-sins/">Consumer Watchdog</a> has this week <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/newsrelease/google-tells-court-you-cannot-expect-privacy-when-sending-messages-gmail-people-who-care">highlighted</a> an interesting claim emanating from Google’s legal team, with which it is doing battle over data mining. In a motion to dismiss Consumer Watchdog’s class action lawsuit against it, Google said no email users can expect privacy.</p>
Google Filing Says Gmail Users Have No Expectation Of Privacy

Google Filing Says Gmail Users Have No Expectation Of Privacy

<p><strong>In motion to dismiss a data-mining lawsuit, Web giant says people have "no legitimate expectation of privacy in information" voluntarily turned over to third parties.</strong></p> <p>s if Edward Snowden hasn't done enough to highlight how vulnerable electronic communications are to surveillance, Google has made it clear that people who send or receive e-mail via Gmail should not expect their messages to remain private.</p>
Google Inc.: Is Microsoft Corporation Right, and Will This Affect Gmail Use?

Google Inc.: Is Microsoft Corporation Right, and Will This Affect Gmail Use?

<p><strong>Google Inc (NASDAQ:<a href="http://www.insidermonkey.com/insider-trading/company/google+inc/1288776/">GOOG</a>)</strong> may be proving <strong>Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:<a href="http://www.insidermonkey.com/insider-trading/company/microsoft+corp/789019/">MSFT</a>)</strong> right after all? Is everything copasetic with the Samsung Galaxy S4 that runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean? Is it really true that the Moto X will truly have a stock Android "Google Edition" device? We address each of these three questions below in a Monday afternoon update of news about Google.</p>
Google: Gmail Users Have No ‘Legitimate Expectation’ Of Privacy

Google: Gmail Users Have No ‘Legitimate Expectation’ Of Privacy

<p>Those who fear the Google machine, get ready to be more scared at the search engine. In a recent filing unearthed by a California-based consumer advocacy group Consumer Watchdog, Google has said that users should never expect that their communications should be kept private – ever.</p> <p>The comments were made in a brief by Google in its application to dismiss a class action lawsuit against them.</p> <p>According to the filing:</p>
Google: Gmail users ‘have no legitimate expectation of privacy’

Google: Gmail users ‘have no legitimate expectation of privacy’

<p>As tensions worsen among privacy-focused email users amid the escalating scandal surrounding government surveillance, a brief filed by attorneys for Google has surfaced showing that Gmail users should never expect their communications to be kept secret.</p> <p>Consumer Watchdog has unearthed a July 13, 2013 motion filed by Google’s attorneys with regards to ongoing litigation challenging how the Silicon Valley giant operates its highly popular free email service.</p>