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Gmail has no incentive to create anything secure or private because that would prevent them from going through your email to show ads. [This is wrong] Update!

Gmail has no incentive to create anything secure or private because that would prevent them from going through your email to show ads. [This is wrong] Update! Gmail changed this behavior a while ago. Went under my radar: https://variety.com/2017/digital/news/google-gmail-ads-emails-1202477321/ https://variety.com/2017/digital/news/google-gmail-ads-email... Thanks!

lloydde 7y ago
“We will not scan or read your Gmail messages to show you ads.” https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6603?hl=en https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6603?hl=en
- cmsimike 7y ago
  You're absolutely right. Turns out they changed this behavior in 2017. Thanks for making me look into it.
  - lloydde 7y ago
    You’re welcome. I found it fascinating at the time of the change, and still do, that email is sacred, but all other activity is open for manipation-based-advertising.
    - wibble10 7y ago
      If they don’t scrape your email how is this page generated then? https://myaccount.google.com/purchases https://myaccount.google.com/purchases
      - franzunix 7y ago
        good question
      - jvolkman 7y ago
        Nobody said the emails aren't scanned; they're just not used as context for ads. Obviously they're scanned, otherwise spam filtering wouldn't be possible.
        wibble10 7y ago
        I think there’s a difference between scanning all incoming mail for spam and keeping a details list of my purchase history by scanning my inbox for receipts somehow... If they aren’t using this data for context ads it must be being used for something else otherwise why would they do it?
        pwodhouse 7y ago
        It's used for Assistant
        Dylan16807 7y ago
        The list of purchases is the feature.
        smacktoward 7y ago
        The critical words in the statement are not "We will not scan or read your Gmail messages"; they are "to show you ads." In other words, they reserve the right to scan or read your Gmail for any purpose other than showing you ads. So they can still read your email for things like creating that purchases list, as well as a myriad of other tasks. As long as that task doesn't involve showing you an ad, your Gmail is wide open to them.
- wool_gather 7y ago
  This can be parsed two different ways, though: We will not scan your messages. (One possible reason we would have done this would be for advertising.) vs. We will not use the scans we perform on your messages to make advertising decisions. I'm honestly not sure which it is (although I also don't care much personally since I don't use Gmail).
  - lloydde 7y ago
    We know that all email providers scan our email. This is considered necessary to reduce spam.

lloydde 7y ago

“We will not scan or read your Gmail messages to show you ads.” https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6603?hl=en https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6603?hl=en

cmsimike 7y ago
You're absolutely right. Turns out they changed this behavior in 2017. Thanks for making me look into it.
- lloydde 7y ago
  You’re welcome. I found it fascinating at the time of the change, and still do, that email is sacred, but all other activity is open for manipation-based-advertising.
  - wibble10 7y ago
    If they don’t scrape your email how is this page generated then? https://myaccount.google.com/purchases https://myaccount.google.com/purchases
    - franzunix 7y ago
      good question
    - jvolkman 7y ago
      Nobody said the emails aren't scanned; they're just not used as context for ads. Obviously they're scanned, otherwise spam filtering wouldn't be possible.
      - wibble10 7y ago
        I think there’s a difference between scanning all incoming mail for spam and keeping a details list of my purchase history by scanning my inbox for receipts somehow... If they aren’t using this data for context ads it must be being used for something else otherwise why would they do it?
        pwodhouse 7y ago
        It's used for Assistant
        Dylan16807 7y ago
        The list of purchases is the feature.
        smacktoward 7y ago
        The critical words in the statement are not "We will not scan or read your Gmail messages"; they are "to show you ads." In other words, they reserve the right to scan or read your Gmail for any purpose other than showing you ads. So they can still read your email for things like creating that purchases list, as well as a myriad of other tasks. As long as that task doesn't involve showing you an ad, your Gmail is wide open to them.
wool_gather 7y ago
This can be parsed two different ways, though: We will not scan your messages. (One possible reason we would have done this would be for advertising.) vs. We will not use the scans we perform on your messages to make advertising decisions. I'm honestly not sure which it is (although I also don't care much personally since I don't use Gmail).
- lloydde 7y ago
  We know that all email providers scan our email. This is considered necessary to reduce spam.