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.'"

Comments

Where's the lie?

[hessian]

Google does scan your emails for keywords. That information may be stored or revealed in any number of ways.

What I'd like from MSFT: a guarantee (legal contract) that MSFT will not do the same on the new Outlook.com.

Re:Saw an ad on ABC last night with my wife

[thetoadwarrior]

It's supposed to look that way. Some people will think it's more legitimate if it doesn't look like a big money production. Like it's coming from the little guy and not a competing mega corporation.