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If I send an email to someone appearing to expect a reply, and I don't get a reply within X days (I think X=5), Gmail surfaces the email with a chip saying "Sen

If I send an email to someone appearing to expect a reply, and I don't get a reply within X days (I think X=5), Gmail surfaces the email with a chip saying "Sent 5 days ago. Follow up?" If I receive a travel reservation confirmation email, I receive a calendar reminder on my phone a few days before the trip. This is personalization. But years ago Google made a commitment not to use Gmail data to customize ads (after initially doing so). So there's a real difference between personalization data and ads data. Closer to home for me, we are legally barred from using Fitbit data for ads or allowing any system (or person!) in the Ads organization to access it in any way. But nobody said we can't personalize your Fitbit experience based on data derived from, say, your Fitbit exercise history.

kreeben 5y ago
>> This is personalization. But years ago Google made a commitment not to use Gmail data to customize ads (after initially doing so). Oh! Well, I actually did not know this. You are saying they realized they shouldn't use my Gmail to customize what ads they show me; how can I verify you are right to say so? >> So there's a real difference between personalization data and ads data. I still don't see the distinction.
- prlambert 5y ago
  Yes, since 2017 no Gmail data is used for any Ad targeting, across any part of Google. Here's a NYT article: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/technology/gmail-ads.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/technology/gmail-ads.html Unfortunately this goes against people's default (and incorrect) mental model of how Google operates, so it's been a very hard message to land. Disclosure: Current Googler and I was a PM on Gmail at the time.
  - JohnFen 5y ago
    The message doesn't really land with me because it's so specific. Not using collected data for "ad targeting" leaves a LOT of room for uses of the data that I object to, including marketing purposes that don't happen to be ad targeting.
  - ssss11 5y ago
    Maybe it goes against their mental model because Gmail did it for over 10 years and already broke the trust regular people placed in them.
  - jacquesm 5y ago
    Trust once broken is next to impossible to restore. Besides that there is no way to verify this for outsiders, so you may as well assume that it is done because there is money in it. Google lost the moral high ground in these discussions long ago.
  - pelorat 5y ago
    That's good because my mailbox is filled with mail from other people. I signed up to gmail on day one using the x.lastname(at)gmail.com address format. Before dot meant "alias". However I now get email from various people around the world with xlastname(at)gmail.com addresses. Apparently your email is not unique in the world, but only in your region, kind of (?!). I get important emails (hotel bookings, insurance mails, trip reservations, orders, lawyer documents) from people which use xlastname(at)gmail.com in the USA, Canada, Australia, and Europe. All with similar names to me, obviously the surname is the same, but first name is different, just the same initial. I've confirmed (by contacting some of them) that they are not missing out on any important documents. For some reason Google's system is duplicating emails meant for other people into my mailbox. Only mails using x.lastname reaches MY inbox. If I tell someone I know to send a mail to xlastname I wont receive it, making the statement here... https://support.google.com/mail/answer/10313 https://support.google.com/mail/answer/10313 ...false (for me). I guess I'm God over all the non dotted versions of my email address. Thanks Google! (However sometimes I wonder if other people see my emails as well)
    - handrous 5y ago
      I have a first-initial-lastname gmail address and receive more email for people with same-first-initial-lastname than I do actually for myself. One of them likes to go to expensive hotels somewhat often. I get the receipts. It's weird.
    - jackac 5y ago
      Periods are ignored by gmail. https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7436150?hl=en https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7436150?hl=en
    - Infernal 5y ago
      I have fullname@gmail.com, and I routinely get full.name@gmail.com mail intended for what is obviously two different people. I have no idea what their real email addresses are of course, but I've contacted both of them on Facebook and tried to explain that full.name@gmail.com is my email address, not theirs - neither replied, both continue to use it for tons of sensitive stuff. I don't understand why they haven't noticed the lack of critical, sometimes personal, email. It's bizarre.
- judge2020 5y ago
  If Google personalizes your data, but doesn't pipe it into ads.google.com, then it's not ads data. > how can I verify you are right to say so? I mean, you could say "how can I verify Google isn't using my Google password to decrypt my Chrome data and pipe it into Google Ads", but you'd have no way of verifying that, besides taking their word for it. https://variety.com/2017/digital/news/google-gmail-ads-emails-1202477321/ https://variety.com/2017/digital/news/google-gmail-ads-email...
  - ssss11 5y ago
    That’s the crux with tech these days. Many companies took advantage of people’s data when they shouldn’t have. If they want to walk that back and behave in a good way, how can anyone prove it.. taking their word for it isn’t good enough.
- mattzito 5y ago
  Googler here, who worked on Workspace (which gmail is a part of). Anyone who works in workspace could confirm that, it's something that is taken very seriously. On the personalization side - smart compose in gmail, where there's typing recommendations, that's personalization, where a machine learning model looks at your email and generated a specific model for you that suggests text. The data never leaves gmail, and it's not used for any other purpose, and no one has access to it. That's different than, "let's use your email to generally learn about you and recommend ads or content to you". But, it's something we've also said legally: https://support.google.com/googlecloud/answer/6056650#zippy=%2Cis-google-using-my-data-what-for https://support.google.com/googlecloud/answer/6056650#zippy=... Is Google using my data? What for? Google processes your data to fulfill our contractual obligation to deliver our services. Google’s customers own their data, not Google. The data that companies, schools, and students put into our systems is theirs. Google does not sell your data to third parties. Google offers our customers a detailed Data Processing Amendment that describes our commitment to protecting your data.EY, an independent auditor, has verified that our privacy practices and contractual commitments for Google Workspace and Google Workspace for Education comply with ISO/IEC 27018:2014. For example: We do not use your data for advertising The data that you entrust with us remains yours We provide you with tools to delete and export your data We are transparent about where your data is stored You can get even more detailed in the DPA: Customer instructs Google to process Customer Personal Data only in accordance with applicable law: (a) to provide the Services and TSS; (b) as further specified via Customer’s and End Users’ use of the Services (including the Admin Console and other functionality of the Services) and TSS; (c) as documented in the form of the applicable Agreement, including this Data Processing Amendment; and (d) as further documented in any other written instructions given by Customer and acknowledged by Google as constituting instructions for purposes of this Data Processing Amendment.
  - kreeben 5y ago
    Hi Googler and thank you, sincerely, for engaging in this discussion. First line in your legal statement: >> We do everything in our power to protect businesses, schools, and government organizations from attempts to compromise their data. Where is the "me" in this equation?
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
petre 5y ago
I was spooked enough yesterday by newsweek offering to take my money and showing my gmail user details! Why do third party sites have access to my full name? I'm running an adblocker, a DNS block list, disabled third party cookies etc. Anyway I think my gmail account's days are numbered. Maybe I am willing to trust Google or at least compromise but not newsweek.
- mjg59 5y ago
  My recollection is that they don't - the content that includes your gmail data is served to you by Google, not by Newsweek.
- smolder 5y ago
  Stop using chrome if you don't like that feature (where the browser offers to sign up with your credentials).
  - jsnell 5y ago
    Is it a Chrome feature? I'd always assumed it was just an iframe, and would work the same on any browser.
    - _delirium 5y ago
      Yeah, it happens in Firefox for me too. If I'm signed in to Gmail in Firefox and visit, say, Kayak or Priceline, I get the same popup. Safari seems to block it though.
      - passerby1 5y ago
        Anyone knows how to disable it?
        rolandog 5y ago
        I use several extensions that allow you to explicitly approve certain features or give permission to run JavaScript. Out of the top of my head: NoScript, Trace [0], uBlock origin, Decentraleyes, Privacy badger. As well as using a pi-hole. [0] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/absolutedouble-trace/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/absolutedoubl...

kreeben 5y ago

>> This is personalization. But years ago Google made a commitment not to use Gmail data to customize ads (after initially doing so). Oh! Well, I actually did not know this. You are saying they realized they shouldn't use my Gmail to customize what ads they show me; how can I verify you are right to say so? >> So there's a real difference between personalization data and ads data. I still don't see the distinction.

prlambert 5y ago
Yes, since 2017 no Gmail data is used for any Ad targeting, across any part of Google. Here's a NYT article: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/technology/gmail-ads.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/technology/gmail-ads.html Unfortunately this goes against people's default (and incorrect) mental model of how Google operates, so it's been a very hard message to land. Disclosure: Current Googler and I was a PM on Gmail at the time.
- JohnFen 5y ago
  The message doesn't really land with me because it's so specific. Not using collected data for "ad targeting" leaves a LOT of room for uses of the data that I object to, including marketing purposes that don't happen to be ad targeting.
- ssss11 5y ago
  Maybe it goes against their mental model because Gmail did it for over 10 years and already broke the trust regular people placed in them.
- jacquesm 5y ago
  Trust once broken is next to impossible to restore. Besides that there is no way to verify this for outsiders, so you may as well assume that it is done because there is money in it. Google lost the moral high ground in these discussions long ago.
- pelorat 5y ago
  That's good because my mailbox is filled with mail from other people. I signed up to gmail on day one using the x.lastname(at)gmail.com address format. Before dot meant "alias". However I now get email from various people around the world with xlastname(at)gmail.com addresses. Apparently your email is not unique in the world, but only in your region, kind of (?!). I get important emails (hotel bookings, insurance mails, trip reservations, orders, lawyer documents) from people which use xlastname(at)gmail.com in the USA, Canada, Australia, and Europe. All with similar names to me, obviously the surname is the same, but first name is different, just the same initial. I've confirmed (by contacting some of them) that they are not missing out on any important documents. For some reason Google's system is duplicating emails meant for other people into my mailbox. Only mails using x.lastname reaches MY inbox. If I tell someone I know to send a mail to xlastname I wont receive it, making the statement here... https://support.google.com/mail/answer/10313 https://support.google.com/mail/answer/10313 ...false (for me). I guess I'm God over all the non dotted versions of my email address. Thanks Google! (However sometimes I wonder if other people see my emails as well)
  - handrous 5y ago
    I have a first-initial-lastname gmail address and receive more email for people with same-first-initial-lastname than I do actually for myself. One of them likes to go to expensive hotels somewhat often. I get the receipts. It's weird.
  - jackac 5y ago
    Periods are ignored by gmail. https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7436150?hl=en https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7436150?hl=en
  - Infernal 5y ago
    I have fullname@gmail.com, and I routinely get full.name@gmail.com mail intended for what is obviously two different people. I have no idea what their real email addresses are of course, but I've contacted both of them on Facebook and tried to explain that full.name@gmail.com is my email address, not theirs - neither replied, both continue to use it for tons of sensitive stuff. I don't understand why they haven't noticed the lack of critical, sometimes personal, email. It's bizarre.
judge2020 5y ago
If Google personalizes your data, but doesn't pipe it into ads.google.com, then it's not ads data. > how can I verify you are right to say so? I mean, you could say "how can I verify Google isn't using my Google password to decrypt my Chrome data and pipe it into Google Ads", but you'd have no way of verifying that, besides taking their word for it. https://variety.com/2017/digital/news/google-gmail-ads-emails-1202477321/ https://variety.com/2017/digital/news/google-gmail-ads-email...
- ssss11 5y ago
  That’s the crux with tech these days. Many companies took advantage of people’s data when they shouldn’t have. If they want to walk that back and behave in a good way, how can anyone prove it.. taking their word for it isn’t good enough.
mattzito 5y ago
Googler here, who worked on Workspace (which gmail is a part of). Anyone who works in workspace could confirm that, it's something that is taken very seriously. On the personalization side - smart compose in gmail, where there's typing recommendations, that's personalization, where a machine learning model looks at your email and generated a specific model for you that suggests text. The data never leaves gmail, and it's not used for any other purpose, and no one has access to it. That's different than, "let's use your email to generally learn about you and recommend ads or content to you". But, it's something we've also said legally: https://support.google.com/googlecloud/answer/6056650#zippy=%2Cis-google-using-my-data-what-for https://support.google.com/googlecloud/answer/6056650#zippy=... Is Google using my data? What for? Google processes your data to fulfill our contractual obligation to deliver our services. Google’s customers own their data, not Google. The data that companies, schools, and students put into our systems is theirs. Google does not sell your data to third parties. Google offers our customers a detailed Data Processing Amendment that describes our commitment to protecting your data.EY, an independent auditor, has verified that our privacy practices and contractual commitments for Google Workspace and Google Workspace for Education comply with ISO/IEC 27018:2014. For example: We do not use your data for advertising The data that you entrust with us remains yours We provide you with tools to delete and export your data We are transparent about where your data is stored You can get even more detailed in the DPA: Customer instructs Google to process Customer Personal Data only in accordance with applicable law: (a) to provide the Services and TSS; (b) as further specified via Customer’s and End Users’ use of the Services (including the Admin Console and other functionality of the Services) and TSS; (c) as documented in the form of the applicable Agreement, including this Data Processing Amendment; and (d) as further documented in any other written instructions given by Customer and acknowledged by Google as constituting instructions for purposes of this Data Processing Amendment.
- kreeben 5y ago
  Hi Googler and thank you, sincerely, for engaging in this discussion. First line in your legal statement: >> We do everything in our power to protect businesses, schools, and government organizations from attempts to compromise their data. Where is the "me" in this equation?

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

petre 5y ago

I was spooked enough yesterday by newsweek offering to take my money and showing my gmail user details! Why do third party sites have access to my full name? I'm running an adblocker, a DNS block list, disabled third party cookies etc. Anyway I think my gmail account's days are numbered. Maybe I am willing to trust Google or at least compromise but not newsweek.

mjg59 5y ago
My recollection is that they don't - the content that includes your gmail data is served to you by Google, not by Newsweek.
smolder 5y ago
Stop using chrome if you don't like that feature (where the browser offers to sign up with your credentials).
- jsnell 5y ago
  Is it a Chrome feature? I'd always assumed it was just an iframe, and would work the same on any browser.
  - _delirium 5y ago
    Yeah, it happens in Firefox for me too. If I'm signed in to Gmail in Firefox and visit, say, Kayak or Priceline, I get the same popup. Safari seems to block it though.
    - passerby1 5y ago
      Anyone knows how to disable it?
      - rolandog 5y ago
        I use several extensions that allow you to explicitly approve certain features or give permission to run JavaScript. Out of the top of my head: NoScript, Trace [0], uBlock origin, Decentraleyes, Privacy badger. As well as using a pi-hole. [0] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/absolutedouble-trace/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/absolutedoubl...