Is Google reading my email?

[faithbw]

I use Microsoft Outlook for my gmail, so I never see the ads. That might help.

[Vic333]

Reading our e-mail? And I thought my job was boring!

[Gregg Bell]

Thanks everybody for the information and suggestions.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by djulian

You'll benefit from two extensions if you use Chrome:

Ghostery: http://www.ghostery.com/
AdBlock: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/d...namgkkbiglidom

The first blocks trackers that follow you from site to site and analyze your interests. The second flat out blocks ads, including those in Gmail. Google will still know what you're writing--their algorithms run on their servers, where your e-mail sits--but you won't have to deal with the ads.

You benefit even better from the same two add-ons if you use Firefox. With adblockplus for Chrome, it still downloads the ads and just doesn't display them. The Firefox version, the ads are blocked before they are downloaded.

[AlexBell]

I've just installed adblockplus for Firefox. But it's free software; somebody or something must pay for it. How?

[Quelch]

Originally Posted by Vic333

Reading our e-mail? And I thought my job was boring!

LOL

[forsooth]

Originally Posted by Gregg Bell

I haven't had gmail that long and I really haven't sent or received that many emails, but I've been talking to a friend about doing an ebook cover, and a lot of what we've talked about has centered around doing the graphics for it. Now I just got a Graphic Design ad right next to my emails. I suppose it's possible that it's a coincidence but that's very unlikely. I know they know where you've gone on the web and send you ads that way, but do they actually read the insides of your emails?

they do not read your mail
get in big trouble doing that
but do not use gmail ID for social network

best not use facebook or google plus
if use them use separate ID

create separate gmail accounts

[djulian]

Originally Posted by AlexBell

I've just installed adblockplus for Firefox. But it's free software; somebody or something must pay for it. How?

They get a lot of donations. The old "tip jar" model.

[cromag]

Kind of like Calibre in that respect.

[djulian]

Originally Posted by JD Gumby

AdBlock doesn't actually work on Chrome. It *hides* the ads, but only after they've already been downloaded and processed (unlike the Firefox version, which doesn't download them in the first place). You're still having your data cap abused and your movements around the Web tracked. (the Chrome version of NoScript is also quite bad, as well)

This is interesting to me--their extension page doesn't say this, but I imagine they wouldn't advertise it. Can you provide some backup for the AdBlock claim? I'm not challenging this claim, just wondering where you found this; I'd be interested in reading through it.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

You benefit even better from the same two add-ons if you use Firefox. With adblockplus for Chrome, it still downloads the ads and just doesn't display them. The Firefox version, the ads are blocked before they are downloaded.

I'm using AdBlock rather than AdBlockPlus; I don't know if they're both working that way, given JDGumby's claim re: AdBlock above. I'm curious now to find out!

[jbcohen]

Harry T is correct, however I would like to add one thing to his statement. They get millions of pieces of email each day for a human to read all of it is frankly not humanly possible. Its almost beyond the abilities of the software to keep up with the email.

[frahse]

Originally Posted by djulian

This is interesting to me--their extension page doesn't say this, but I imagine they wouldn't advertise it. Can you provide some backup for the AdBlock claim? I'm not challenging this claim, just wondering where you found this; I'd be interested in reading through it.

I'm using AdBlock rather than AdBlockPlus; I don't know if they're both working that way, given JDGumby's claim re: AdBlock above. I'm curious now to find out!

Checking the download size for the page with each system is the simplest.

If you know how, you can check the actual code.

Originally Posted by jbcohen

They get millions of pieces of email each day for a human to read all of it is frankly not humanly possible.

Clearly reading by humans is impossible given the volume, but I don't think that's what Gregg Bell meant. Google is clearly going through emails and developing user profiles in order to target advertising. In that sense it is being read. I'm fairly confident that Google is storing those profiles, since the advertising seems to be taking prior messages into account.

Whether the content of those profiles is or is going to be used for purposes other than advertising is an open question. I'm fairly certain that Google can make a good sum of money if they decided to sell that data to third parties since everything from credit bureaus to employers could make use of at least some of that data.

[taustin]

Originally Posted by BWinmill

Clearly reading by humans is impossible given the volume, but I don't think that's what Gregg Bell meant. Google is clearly going through emails and developing user profiles in order to target advertising. In that sense it is being read. I'm fairly confident that Google is storing those profiles, since the advertising seems to be taking prior messages into account.

Whether the content of those profiles is or is going to be used for purposes other than advertising is an open question. I'm fairly certain that Google can make a good sum of money if they decided to sell that data to third parties since everything from credit bureaus to employers could make use of at least some of that data.

There's no question it's already being used for other purposes. Various police organizations, especially the feds, are never more than a warrant away from everything you've ever done on the internet.

Anybody who believe that anything they do online is even remotely private has no idea how computer networks work.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've not seen a single ad. But then, adblockplus does an excellent job keeping ads away from me.

LOL. If I'm at a computer that has no ad blocker(s) installed in it's internet browser, and I see how the internet *really* looks, I'd sometimes want that it was never invented.