[LINK] google services
Roger Clarke
Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au
Fri Feb 16 14:37:24 AEDT 2007
The postings in this thread seem to be working on the assumption that
Google is somehow renting out space for people to use as email
archives.
Wrong.
Google is asking people to donate all of the email traffic sent from
that account, plus all of the email traffic sent to that
gmail-address by others.
And people are doing it in droves.
And they're very silly to do so:
http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/II/Gurgle0604.html#Gmail
"The doctrine of privity of contract and the manifold weaknesses and
patchiness of privacy laws together suggest that people who send
messages to Gmail addresses simply have no rights at all in relation
to the content of those emails. Consequently, some people decline to
send to Gmail addresses. Many more would be likely to do so if they
fully appreciated the risks that they face".
One of my standard signature blocks reads:
** I don't reply to gmail addresses because Google traps the email forever.
** Please advise some other email-address that I can reply to.
No repeat of content, no Subject, no Ccs:, no other signature-stub.
And even then I'm donating far more info to Google's vacuum-cleaner
than I want in there.
--
Roger Clarke http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/
Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au http://www.xamax.com.au/
Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng Australian National University
Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program University of Hong Kong
Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre Uni of NSW
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