[PLUG-TALK] Google asserts you have no expectation of privacy in your email
Keith Lofstrom
keithl at gate.kl-ic.com
Wed Aug 14 21:01:53 UTC 2013
On Tue, Aug 13, 2013 at 04:21:32PM -0700, Michael Rasmussen wrote:
> http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/newsrelease/google-tells-court-you-cannot-expect-privacy-when-sending-messages-gmail-people-who-care
>
> If you want privacy get your own email platform.
Exactly - however, Jane Lunchpail may not understand that, and may
not be capable of setting up her own email platform.
How can we help our neighbors understand the security implications
of what they do without sounding like shrill crackpots, or scaring
them into immobility? How can we provide better alternatives?
Email is broken in many ways. Yet we keep using it. Since Jane
Lunchpail is happy with the status quo, that's what we get. Our
fault; geeks invented SMTP, we shall regret it for decades more.
I would expect better technology to have emerged by now. We could
use some new protocol for this list, geek-to-geek, avoiding spam and
spying and whatnot, perhaps with some AI features to avoid the silly
misunderstandings that text email causes. But we don't, because
we accept the status quo, too. Grumbling about it doesn't count.
The General Problem is that you can't get something for nothing(*).
Google, Facebook, Meetup, etc. earn revenue in some disclosed or
undisclosed ways while providing "free" services. Ads might be
annoying, but I'm more concerned about services without ads; they
sell your information to the highest bidder(s). Who? Cui bono?
Keith
(*) More often, you get worse than nothing after expending blood
and treasure, breaking your spirit on the wheel of fate. But
hey, you can still grin at the bastards. Keep them guessing!
--
Keith Lofstrom keithl at keithl.com Voice (503)-520-1993
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