*Attention* Creepy Gmail

[curuxz]

Email is about as secure as a postcard. If you're saying anything in email that you don't want people to read, you should think about encryption.

I agree totaly, I think we should document encription much better in Ubuntu, if anyone has some good how'to's it would be great. I personaly wana know a way of making all communications secure without asking the other person to install loads of stuff, or even if they do have to install things then please make it cross platform since I do business with a lot of Windows and Mac users.

[hizaguchi]

^ Enigmail is a plugin for Thunderbird that uses PGP encryption. Doesn't eliminate the flaming hoops problem, but it is cross-platform.

[prizrak]

Thunderbird + GPG extension + POP3 access and stop worrying about anyone reading your e-mail. If you think that any other e-mail service, including the e-mail you get from the ISP, isn't capable of doing what Google can do you need to stop smoking the ganja.

[GuitarHero]

Am i the only one who doesnt care if google reads my mail? OH NO google will know that im being sent ***** enlargement ads and diet pill ads! *gasp*

[lapsey]

Am i the only one who doesnt care if google reads my mail? OH NO google will know that im being sent ***** enlargement ads and diet pill ads! *gasp*

I can't wait till that philosophy is applied wholesale and we find it a legal requirement to have all our communications monitored for the warning signs du jour. I can't think for the life of me why people are getting in a fuss about this AT&T-FBI monitoring! If you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to fear!

The fact that anyone can steal a mailbag and read my junk mail and letters from auntie mildred doesn't mean that doing so should be legal. Don't you have any idea how important the principle of privacy is?

They must have been smoking some crazy **** when they wrote article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights LMAO


What the hell, let me just put my house keys on ebay and I'm done.

[prizrak]

I can't wait till that philosophy is applied wholesale and we find it a legal requirement to have all our communications monitored for the warning signs du jour. I can't think for the life of me why people are getting in a fuss about this AT&T-FBI monitoring! If you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to fear!

The fact that anyone can steal a mailbag and read my junk mail and letters from auntie mildred doesn't mean that doing so should be legal. Don't you have any idea how important the principle of privacy is?

They must have been smoking some crazy **** when they wrote article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights LMAO


What the hell, let me just put my house keys on ebay and I'm done.

Google is a private company not a government, they can set any policy regarding their handling of information that resides on their PRIVATE servers. Government agencies have always been allowed to appear before a magistrate and request a search warrant (whether it's for electronic stuff or physical) and there was never a problem with that. If anything you should be outraged over the PATRIOT Act that allows the government to obtain such information with very limited proof.

Generally speaking anything on the internet is public domain, unless you own every single piece of cabling and equipment that your communication goes through it can be interecepted. So if you don't want people to read your e-mail encrypt it, same way you don't leave your car unlocked if you don't want people to steal **** from it.

[kassetra]

I can't wait till that philosophy is applied wholesale and we find it a legal requirement to have all our communications monitored for the warning signs du jour.

Well.... ever worked for an ISP?

Most of the mail stored at just about every ISP I can think of is stored for years; archived, yes, but all stored.

There are actually requirements for how long ISPs must store data, including emails, variable by country.

Google just makes it public knowledge.

[lapsey]

Google is a private company not a government, they can set any policy regarding their handling of information that resides on their PRIVATE servers. Government agencies have always been allowed to appear before a magistrate and request a search warrant (whether it's for electronic stuff or physical) and there was never a problem with that. If anything you should be outraged over the PATRIOT Act that allows the government to obtain such information with very limited proof.

Generally speaking anything on the internet is public domain

Thats a pretty bold thing to preface your argument with. Also incorrect from a legal standpoint, unless you'd like to point me in the direction of one of those 'public domain' Half-life 2 ISOs

From a practical standpoint, I agree - to avoid disappointment people should ACT as if everything on the net is public domain (unless they take steps otherwise).
But just because laws are not applied 100% of the time that they, or the principles embodied in those laws should cease to apply.


I'm not outraged over the patriot act because it's not my government. At any time I can ask any company in the uk for details of all the data they have stored on me, and for that data to be destroyed.

Personally I'm not too concerned about Google because their current privacy policy is ok. It scans emails for buzzwords (it doesnt disclose wether these are strictly for the purposes of security or commerce) and targets advertisment accordingly; all of which is permitted by the user as part of the user agreement.
I was far more concerned at the lack of principle in the statement I quoted.

[prizrak]

Thats a pretty bold thing to preface your argument with. Also incorrect from a legal standpoint, unless you'd like to point me in the direction of one of those 'public domain' Half-life 2 ISOs

From a practical standpoint, I agree - to avoid disappointment people should ACT as if everything on the net is public domain (unless they take steps otherwise).
But just because laws are not applied 100% of the time that they, or the principles embodied in those laws should cease to apply.


I'm not outraged over the patriot act because it's not my government. At any time I can ask any company in the uk for details of all the data they have stored on me, and for that data to be destroyed.

Personally I'm not too concerned about Google because their current privacy policy is ok. It scans emails for buzzwords (it doesnt disclose wether these are strictly for the purposes of security or commerce) and targets advertisment accordingly; all of which is permitted by the user as part of the user agreement.
I was far more concerned at the lack of principle in the statement I quoted.

I will agree with you there, too many people think "If you got nothing to hide what do you care". When I say public domain pertaining to the internet I mean more along the lines of walking down the street anyone else there will be able to see you.

[tsb]

Gmail is awesome. Looks like the MS haters will be going after Google now.