I've had a thought I haven't been able to shake all weekend.

How private is my Gmail account? I'm thinking that since they push ads related to keywords in the e-mails, it can't be 'for-my-eyes-only'?

Or am I completely off track with this?

(I use the secured version via Better Gmail that forces it to use https)

Google state that there is no person monitering your Gmail account and that the only monitering is by computer, to find like minded ads to (supposedly) automatically enhance your experience.

I'm not so sure myself. I mean if it is checking your sites and surfing habits with key words etc, then it is obviously capable of checking all your emails.

It's not only Google that you have to be suspicious of either, Yahoo or Microsoft et al are all capable of checking and recording your surfing habits.

There is a TV programme being advertised on Ch 2 for tomorrow (Tues) night that should prove interesting viewing. It is on 'Foreign Correspondent' at 9.30pm and this edition is entitled "The Great Firewall of China".

According to the ads for the programme, Google, Yahoo, Microsoft (and maybe others) are helping the Chinese Govt to censor the Chinese internet. It should make interesting viewing.

It is said that your IP have a record of almost every site you have visited

I haven't heard of Better Gmail, I'll have to check it out.

Better Gmail is a Firefox extension on that allows you to tweak Gmail settings.

More info

And thanks for the heads up on that show. Will watch it

Thanks for that info deezee, I have Firefox on my new comp and on my laptop so I will definitely use it.

You'll have to check which version Gmail you have, and then download the related version.

Drop me a mail if that's a bit confusing andro

It'll be your ISP that could record things, your IP is just a number assigned to your computer, often only temporarily. 

/techy

Google have very powerful data mining tool at their disposal for linking keywords to websites to adverts, bringing people into that is a natural extension. On the other hand at least we know their doing stuff. Other providers are most likely doing the same things but not letting anyone know about it.

There was that thing a little while back where a bunch of search engines were subpoenaed for records of search terms entered, possibly linked to IP addresses. If I remember rightly, most of them handed it over but one (might have been Google... might not) made a fight out of it.

My view overall is that they're probably using whatever data they have for their own ends, but not in a sinister way, plus they'll defend it from anyone else who'd like to have a poke around in their data...

Google are at least open enough about what they are doing, I trust them enough to let them store all my mails.

Google have been refusing to give out data they've stored about people when the goverment have asked for it.

Yeah that's all I wanted to know. I don't care if they have a mechanism to pick keywords and deliver ads. But I wanna know that's all they use it for, and that that's where the info stays

@ S-K, I realise that I should have used ISP instead of IP (I hate bloody acronyms) it's a lazy way of writing and can be easily misunderstood. But thanks for bringing it to my attention.

Re Google, Yahoo, Microsoft etc and their data mining, I will reserve my opinion until I have seen the TV programme tonight, but my gut feeling is, that if there is money to be made, the ISP's will do whatever is in their best interests. (which may not necessarily coincide with your/my best interests).

Ok, now having seen the TV programme, it appears that the real villian was Yahoo, who identified the person who was critical af the Chinese Govt.

He is now serving 10 years in a chinese prison for running a human rights blog.

Apparently Yahoo have apologised to the family of the man and given them an undisclosed sum of money as recompense. However this does not alter the fact that the poor guy is left rotting in a Chinese prison.

As previously mentioned, this is all about money and control and it doesn't take a genius to to come to the conclusion that if any govt threatened to ban any ISP from operating in their country the the ISP in question would comply with their wishes.

What is termed to be data mining, could (IMO) in some instances be termed spying or eavesdropping, or in extreme cases stealing or informing.

But then (as the saying goes) "There is no such thing as a free lunch", so that is the price we pay for cheap internet communications.

The question we must ask ourselves is, "Is that price too high".

Yeah, unfortunately I missed it, cos although I'd planned to watch it, I had a few issues with petrol stations and their lack of working air pumps...

Anyways, thanks for the summary on that andro.

So Yahoo actually gave up information about one of its users....

I guess this feeds back into the Gmail question I had. If Google knew the contents of an e-mail for example, they could be pressured into giving the info up.

As Natanael said earlier, Google have refused before, so that's a slight comfort I guess....

Yep Yahoo turned him in.

They showed an interview with the Yahoo China boss, and he was very apologetic and said that they will do whatever they can for the family, but (as they say) "it's too little too late".  

I had a few issues with petrol stations and their lack of working air pumps... 

Hey, so it's not only me then that's noticed that. I needed to put some air in a tyre about a week ago and found that a lot of servo's in the area no longer have the free air hoses connected. (not even where I usually buy my fuel). I ended up at the Woolworths petrol station (where I generally don't go) before I could put some air in my tyre. I told the guy at my usual servo that in future if I can't use the air pump, I would go somewhere that it was available.. He said that it was taken away because people who were not customers were taking advantage of the service, but I reiterated to him that in future, if I don't see the air hose available I would take my business elsewhere, where it was. "BUGGER EM"   How much does it cost a servo to run a compressor for their customers.

Yeah, the first one I went to deflated my tyre instead of inflating it. Second one would inflate above 30. Third one finally did it... sheesh!