Gmail is bad?

[IronFist]

Here.

[FngSaiYuk]

Never an end to what the chicken littles will go off on, on the internet...

I kinda like that gmail is up front w/what they do with your email. All of the major free mail services basically do the same thing (as far as keeping email and scanning them, etc). And the targetted ads on gmail are a LOT less intrusive (I really don't even notice them) than those on msn and yahoo.

It comes down to trust of a FREE service. If you're paranoid about your mail, then setup your own mail server or find someone you trust and pay them for a mail account.

[Gangsterfist]

Thats all pretty far fetched. If the FBI really wanted to get your emails, it would not matter what ISP or web based email you were using. I have a gmail account and I can tell you they don't ask for any personal info when you sign up.

Google is widely used so what? A lot of major search engines use the google source code anyways (thats how google makes their money). Then at the end it says google ads convicted an innocent man? HAHAHAHAHAHAH seriously do not make me laugh. So since search engines like yahoo, lycos, excite, and many others use google code on their search engines it means those engines are just as susceptible as google is since they share source code. Google is the most widely used search engine in the world and they have sold off their source to other major search engines to make their money.

Here is exerts from googles privacy policies:

Google is NOT reading your mail. Privacy is an issue we take very seriously. Gmail is a technology-based program. Advertising and related information are shown using a completely automated process. Ads are selected for relevance and served by Google computers using the same contextual advertising technology that powers our AdSense program. This technology enables Google to effectively target dynamically changing content, such as email, or news stories.

Because the ads and Related Pages are matched to information that is of interest to you, we hope you'll find them relevant and useful.

If you'd like to know more about how Google handles your Gmail information, please read our Gmail Privacy Policy.

Here is more when you go through the whole EULA

When we may disclose your personal information.

As a standard email protocol, when you send an email from your Gmail account, Gmail includes your email address and user name in the header of the email. Beyond this, we do not disclose your personally identifying information to third parties unless we believe we are required to do so by law or have a good faith belief that such access, preservation or disclosure is reasonably necessary to (a) satisfy any applicable law, regulation, legal process or governmental request, (b) enforce the Gmail Terms of Use, including investigation of potential violations thereof, (c) detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues (including, without limitation, the filtering of spam), (d) respond to user support requests, or (e) protect the rights, property or safety of Google, its users and the public.

All this means is, if the law requires them to disclose your info, they will. If the government requires them to they will. Under new laws under the patriot act, and other facist type things making emails only fully protected as private means of communications only lasts 180 days. Which means after 180 days no warrant is required to get that info, it just means that a subpeana is needed. However, they still have to subpeana google which will also take time and money from the legal system. Which in turn also means they will have to have a good reason to go after you. I highly doubt the RIAA will start subpeanaing(sp?) google to get people who download MP3s, that would flood the legal system with something that the law cannot stop. That article was a bit far fetched and extremely paranoid.

Google (just like all web based emails) keeps back ups of your emails for data purposes. If the system crashes they can reimage a previous back up and all your email will be right back up. Every web based email does this. If you are so worried use pop3 instead of web based and download them directly onto your hard drive instead. Then you are more susceptible to virus attacks then however. They will also monitor some accounts for maintence reasons. They will track bandwidth, GUI stuff, etc.

Every web based email does this, they all keep back ups of all your stuff, they all monitor it for quality assurance reasons, so I don't see why you should single out google.

[Tak]

The full text of Google's privacy policy.

To reiterate (am I stuck in an infinite loop?) - if you're using a free webmail service, and you think they're NOT doing everything Google is doing, you're being fooled like a $1000/month inside-door-black-belt-club mcdojo student.

[Gangsterfist]

by the way I still have 1 invite left for gmail, anyone want it?

[Vash]

Bah. 'Dem biches don't support Opera.

sunzabiches

[Gangsterfist]

Originally posted by Vash
Bah. 'Dem biches don't support Opera.

sunzabiches

Then use firefox! I like it better than opera anyways. Plus you can use all the alternatives with it no problem. Like alt real player and alt quick time. I have rp and I hate qt, but the alternates are very nice.

[stubbs]

i love gmail! i don't mind what they do with my emails within reason. if you think about your security too much you'll get paranoid and before you know it you'll think batmans standing on the queens balcony!


(6 invites available by the way)
________
FERRARI 248 F1 SPECIFICATIONS

[Tak]

Originally posted by Vash
Bah. 'Dem biches don't support Opera.

Works with 7.60 preview 1.

Linux/Freebsd
Windows

[Vash]

Thanks for the heads up.

By the way, Tak, that's a kick ass sign.

[Chang Style Novice]

I'll take an invite.

[IronFist]

How do you get invites? Do they just give them to you?

[Gangsterfist]

You have to be a part of the beta and they give you invites I have one left. Just PM me the email address you want the invite to go to and I will send it out.

Everytime they want to expand they give out every existing beta tester more invites.

[Toby]

Gangsterfist or stubbs, I wouldn't mind one. You can send it to me via my profile e-mail I guess.

Thanks.

[anerlich]

Guys, you can pick up a GMail invite here:

http://isnoop.net/gmailomatic.php

they've set up a service so you can give them spare invites you have, then they give them to people that ask for them - just enter an email Addy.