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MS Targets Google With Another Smear Campaign
walterbyrd writes with news that Microsoft's PR department has started a campaign to convince Gmail users that Google reads your personal emails, referring to Google's automated method of scanning emails for keywords to generate supposedly relevant advertising.
"The gist of the scare campaign is that Google is a scary, scary company that reads your private emails in order to send you targeted ads. 'Even if you don't use Gmail, if you send email to someone who does, Google goes through those emails to generate advertising revenue too,' Microsoft warns in material sent to reporters. Oh, and Microsoft points out that six class-action lawsuits have been filed against Google over this issue, and asks people to sign a petition 'to tell Google to stop going through your personal email messages.'"
The obvious retort is that because google is doing "dumb" semantic analysis like key word searches that it's not "reading" your e-mails. But that's a naive. In ten year semantic analysis of text will be approaching human comprehension. There will be no difference between a human reading and a computer reading in terms of the harm this might have for you. Furthermore those e-mails you write now will be fully avaialble to google in the future. Google might even change it's policy and let humans read your e-mails. You gave them permission. How do do you know what google will do int he next ten years? Maybe some credit agency will pay them $100 per user account to see all your e-mails.
Mean while microsoft is actually promising in their user agreement that they will never ever do that to you. There's thus a big difference.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
Wow... so comparisons, critiques and reviews are illegal? That's pretty pathetic... glad I live somewhere with the marginal freedom I have.
I support the Slashcott and will not be reading or commenting from 2/10/14 to 2/17/14. Beta is steaming pile of dog shit
Wow... so comparisons, critiques and reviews are illegal?
No, they aren't. Stop being dishonest.