Google Gives the US Government Access To Gmail

schliz writes "Google condemns the Chinese Government for censoring its results, and Australia for planning to do the same. Meanwhile, its lawyers and security experts have told employees to 'be intentionally vague about whether or not we've given access to end-user accounts,' according to engineer James Tarquin, hinting that Google may be sharing its data with the US government. Perhaps Australia's most hated communications minister, Steven Conroy, could be right in his criticism of Google's privacy record after all."

Comments

Though I should have done this a while ago...

[Luke has no name]

I'm migrating from GMail pretty soon, and logging out any time I do a search.

inb4 "You're overreacting" warblgharbl.

Re:Though I should have done this a while ago...

[Anonymous Monkey]

Dose any one still think that a keylogger is not a standard component of all computer hardware? If it's a computer and hooked to the internet then obviously the government is watching you. That's why I only post to Slashdot from work.

Re:Though I should have done this a while ago...

[desertjedi85]

Based on the spelling and grammar in your post I'd say you also do not have a bookshelf or diploma.

This is what Google, Facebook and Twitter are for.

[elucido]

The big brother government uses twitter to track what you are doing, uses facebook to investigate you and your friends, uses google to try and figure out what you think.

The FBI exists specifically as an intelligence agency to spy on American citizens. So when random people add you as a friend on facebook it could be the beginning of an FBI investigation.

And ignorance of the law wont hold up in court, so if you don't know whats in the 1000+ page healthcare reform bill, or the tens of thousands of pages of new laws which pass each year, you could already be breaking some esoteric law and committing a felony.

And thats all you need to do to get the FBI to investigate you. So you better not talk about anything criminal.

Re:Summary and Title doesn't seem to match

[biryokumaru]

This is Slashdot. We distill sensationalist journalism to its essence.

How to get at least decent email privacy

[joeszilagyi]

Use PGP or some other encryption method of the content itself. ONLY connect to your mail servers via SSL--no exceptions, ever. Store NOTHING on the local machine, be it your iPhone, your laptop, your desktop. Build your own OS that connects to your mail server and build your own mail client software so that you know there are no possible backdoors. Build your own mail server the same. Routinely re-encrypt your entire remote mail store with the highest end encryption available. Don't store keys with the mail store. Don't save ANY mail logs. If you do, encrypt them just as tightly.

Next, only mail with people that use comparable basic levels of security.

Finally, don't mail anyone.