Gmail questions

[Pfipps]

Gmail does datamining of private emails?

I've read this on another forum.

 

This doesn't make any sense. I know they keep backups of emails and eventually delete them (which is good - I don't want a lost email due to a failure). I also know they scan emails for ads and it is automated.

 

Don't all the email services give emails unique IDs? I remember the controversy over Gmail that was a joke. It's arguably the best email service in the industry that doesn't require a direct payment.

 

I've been beginning to use Gmail for online ordering because the line from Gmail to my computer is encrypted. I cannot say that for any other free email service or Comcast - what I use, besides Hushmail. I'm powerless in the line from say, Amazon to google...but it's still better than other options.

[rridgely]

What do you mean by "datamining private emails"? What exactly is it that you think they may be doing? I have read a lot of debates about gmail but most of it doesn't bother me.

 

Here is the most popular anti gmail link I have seen.

http://www.gmail-is-too-creepy.com/

 

Gmail and Thunderbird seem to be the perfect combo to me.

[Pfipps]

That anti-Gmail site looks like it could have been funded by Yahoo, Microsoft, and other competitors who can't meet google's level of service. Lot of it centers around "the sky is falling" mentality. They seem to forget that all services scan email. If someone is paranoid, they should use hushmail.

 

"After 180 days in the U.S., email messages lose their status as a protected communication under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act," is this true?

 

The datamining could be a twist of the fact that they scan all emails, but I am not sure.

 

How long does Gmail keep a residual copy of a deleted file?

[rridgely]

I'm sure google isn't doing anything yahoo or AOL isn't doing. Fact of the matter is if you use someone else's services then there is the potential for your data to be accessed by someone you don't want it to be accessed by.

 

I seriously doubt they are going to make a search engine out of peoples old email though. What would be the point? Plus they would get sued if say someones credit card info was in one that got posted, ect.

 

I'm not sure about the 180 day rule. If it is true then it doesn't just apply to gmail though.

[Eldmannen]

Yes, Gmail is probably the best webmail there is. Star flagging, labeling, spam filtering, archiving, searching, etc it's good.

 

Gmail uses software that read your e-mail letters and display advertisment using Google adsense next to the letter. But nobody reads your e-mail. Read this: http://mail.google.com/mail/help/intl/en/about_privacy.html

 

But as far as I know, when you delete a letter in Gmail it gets moved to Trashbin where it stays for 30 days and gets deleted until you delete it from the trashbin too. Eitherway, your letter stay on their system for longer than that, but not visible in your inbox or something.

 

Hushmail is probably the best in terms of encryption, security and privacy.

If you worried about snoops on e-mail you can encrypt your mails using GNU Privacy Guard.