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Google absolutely harvests all info they can get. They scan gmails, they monitorig everything on all Android phones, even when you disable something [1]. It's

Google absolutely harvests all info they can get. They scan gmails, they monitorig everything on all Android phones, even when you disable something [1]. It's just that Google maybe be a bit hesitant to sell data to 3rd parties, since they abuse them themselves :) (and this is the price of a 'free' service). [1]: https://gadgets.ndtv.com/apps/news/google-tracking-user-location-data-on-android-even-when-disabled-report-1778542 https://gadgets.ndtv.com/apps/news/google-tracking-user-loca...

skybrian 9y ago
Isn't selling or just giving data to third parties what we're talking about today?
untog 9y ago
> It's just that Google maybe be a bit hesitant to sell data to 3rd parties Which is the entire point. I know Google is taking data when I use Google products. The problem arises when Google freely gives my data to a random third party company I neither know nor trust, without my knowledge.
- earenndil 9y ago
  Why is it better that google has your data than that another company has your data?
  - untog 9y ago
    Because I agreed to give it to them, for one. For another, I know what Google is. And where it is - they have an address. They're in the US. I could, if I wanted, sue them. Compare that to a literally limitless number of unknown organisations all across the world? Yeah, I'd say Google is better.
  - soohyung 9y ago
    Because at least then you know who has your data. If I agree to Google having some of my data because I trust them with it to some extent that does not mean I want to give any third party access to that data. And I'm not saying there's any reason to trust Google with your data, but at least you'll know who really has access to that data.
yters 9y ago
Arguably Google can create a pretty good social network from email. That's why the use it for ads.
- criddell 9y ago
  I was looking at Google Plus again last week and there's a lot of interesting things about it. I kind of wish they would spin it off into its own company.
kyrra 9y ago
Google stopped scanning emails 9 months ago[0]. [0] https://blog.google/products/gmail/g-suite-gains-traction-in-the-enterprise-g-suites-gmail-and-consumer-gmail-to-more-closely-align/ https://blog.google/products/gmail/g-suite-gains-traction-in...
- ctchocula 9y ago
  The exact quote is "Consumer Gmail content will not be used or scanned for any ads personalization after this change." I know they still scan my emails, because airbnb reservations will magically pop up on my calendar.
  - pvdebbe 9y ago
    Do you log in to AirBnB using Google credentials? Perhaps they use an undocumented feature to broadcast the dates to GCal without mail harvesting.
    - ctchocula 9y ago
      Nope, using Facebook credentials. That's definitely a possibility. Maybe I'm cynical, but whenever I see qualifiers around a verb I get suspicious. Something like "hey, we're not lying when we said we stopped scanning emails for ad purposes, but we are still scanning to improve other Google ecosystems tools like Calendar".
    - distant_hat 9y ago
      They scan emails. I have had airline ticket reservations that my friends emailed to me added on my Calendar.
      - pvdebbe 9y ago
        Yikes. That would prove it...
        icebraining 9y ago

skybrian 9y ago

Isn't selling or just giving data to third parties what we're talking about today?

untog 9y ago

> It's just that Google maybe be a bit hesitant to sell data to 3rd parties Which is the entire point. I know Google is taking data when I use Google products. The problem arises when Google freely gives my data to a random third party company I neither know nor trust, without my knowledge.

earenndil 9y ago
Why is it better that google has your data than that another company has your data?
- untog 9y ago
  Because I agreed to give it to them, for one. For another, I know what Google is. And where it is - they have an address. They're in the US. I could, if I wanted, sue them. Compare that to a literally limitless number of unknown organisations all across the world? Yeah, I'd say Google is better.
- soohyung 9y ago
  Because at least then you know who has your data. If I agree to Google having some of my data because I trust them with it to some extent that does not mean I want to give any third party access to that data. And I'm not saying there's any reason to trust Google with your data, but at least you'll know who really has access to that data.

yters 9y ago

Arguably Google can create a pretty good social network from email. That's why the use it for ads.

criddell 9y ago
I was looking at Google Plus again last week and there's a lot of interesting things about it. I kind of wish they would spin it off into its own company.

kyrra 9y ago

Google stopped scanning emails 9 months ago[0]. [0] https://blog.google/products/gmail/g-suite-gains-traction-in-the-enterprise-g-suites-gmail-and-consumer-gmail-to-more-closely-align/ https://blog.google/products/gmail/g-suite-gains-traction-in...

ctchocula 9y ago
The exact quote is "Consumer Gmail content will not be used or scanned for any ads personalization after this change." I know they still scan my emails, because airbnb reservations will magically pop up on my calendar.
- pvdebbe 9y ago
  Do you log in to AirBnB using Google credentials? Perhaps they use an undocumented feature to broadcast the dates to GCal without mail harvesting.
  - ctchocula 9y ago
    Nope, using Facebook credentials. That's definitely a possibility. Maybe I'm cynical, but whenever I see qualifiers around a verb I get suspicious. Something like "hey, we're not lying when we said we stopped scanning emails for ad purposes, but we are still scanning to improve other Google ecosystems tools like Calendar".
  - distant_hat 9y ago
    They scan emails. I have had airline ticket reservations that my friends emailed to me added on my Calendar.
    - pvdebbe 9y ago
      Yikes. That would prove it...
      - icebraining 9y ago