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Despite the terrible Microsoft execution, I think there is a real issue here about privacy... it's just that nobody in their right mind is going to weigh in jus

Despite the terrible Microsoft execution, I think there is a real issue here about privacy... it's just that nobody in their right mind is going to weigh in just because Microsoft tells them to. People are getting more aware of what happens to their data - and concerned about it - and while a political solution will probably be cackhanded, the tech community can surely do better than giants slogging it out over soundbites.

mtgx 14y ago
I'm not worried about my privacy because they use the data to track ads. I'm never really worried about them doing that for ads, since there's no significant danger in that. What I'm a LOT more worried about is about the government getting those e-mails so easily (just saying from a normal person's privacy rights vs government abuses). But at least Google is a bit transparent about that data - Microsoft is not. But my problem with it is that it's keeping Google from offering the ability to encrypt e-mail and have "zero knowledge" policies for e-mail. This is why I think Google will be one of the last (if ever) to adopt such policies or offer such service. But I don't think Microsoft will do it any earlier either. So I really don't see Microsoft's services as "better" in any way, from this point of view. If I'll ever move my e-mail, it will probably be to a company that does care about stuff like this and lives outside of US, not to Microsoft, which is just another side of the same coin. I want a whole new coin.
- pyre 14y ago
  > "zero knowledge" policies for e-mail I don't believe this is entirely possible. If Google were to encrypt all incoming email with your public key (so that only you could decrypt them) at the entry point (SMTP), it would still be possible to law enforcement/government to force Google to copy the incoming emails prior to the encryption step. Even if all incoming emails were encrypted prior to hitting Google's servers, the headers would still be visible (plus things like automated emails will probably never be encrypted).

mtgx 14y ago

I'm not worried about my privacy because they use the data to track ads. I'm never really worried about them doing that for ads, since there's no significant danger in that. What I'm a LOT more worried about is about the government getting those e-mails so easily (just saying from a normal person's privacy rights vs government abuses). But at least Google is a bit transparent about that data - Microsoft is not. But my problem with it is that it's keeping Google from offering the ability to encrypt e-mail and have "zero knowledge" policies for e-mail. This is why I think Google will be one of the last (if ever) to adopt such policies or offer such service. But I don't think Microsoft will do it any earlier either. So I really don't see Microsoft's services as "better" in any way, from this point of view. If I'll ever move my e-mail, it will probably be to a company that does care about stuff like this and lives outside of US, not to Microsoft, which is just another side of the same coin. I want a whole new coin.

pyre 14y ago
> "zero knowledge" policies for e-mail I don't believe this is entirely possible. If Google were to encrypt all incoming email with your public key (so that only you could decrypt them) at the entry point (SMTP), it would still be possible to law enforcement/government to force Google to copy the incoming emails prior to the encryption step. Even if all incoming emails were encrypted prior to hitting Google's servers, the headers would still be visible (plus things like automated emails will probably never be encrypted).