They may make money off ads but I don't think they have any real incentive to lie about what they're doing. Because most of their users don't actually care. I would be curious if anyone knows of any scenario where Google has outright lied about what they do and don't do with information, because I've never heard of it.
For me, I moved off gmail for other reasons: my email is too important to randomly lose access to because e.g. their youtube AI thinks I'm spamming a channel on Youtube. I look at all my data in Google as if I might lose access to it forever some day, because someday I might, with zero recourse.
They do not. See https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6603?hl=en
"We will not scan or read your Gmail messages to show you ads."
https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en
> Our automated systems analyze your content (including emails) to provide you personally relevant product features, such as customized search results, tailored advertising, and spam and malware detection. This analysis occurs as the content is sent, received, and when it is stored.
that reads to me like ""We may do it for other purposes."
I tore off my nest thermostats and replaced them with dumb ones. I miss the ability to change my heat remotely, but at the end of the day. I don’t need that functionality.
They say they won’t use it to sell ads:
> “To help you easily view and keep track of your purchases, bookings and subscriptions in one place, we’ve created a private destination that can only be seen by you,” a Google spokesperson told CNBC. “You can delete this information at any time. We don’t use any information from your Gmail messages to serve you ads, and that includes the email receipts and confirmations shown on the Purchase page.”
What guarantee is there that this is not being used for other purposes? To train other kinds of models? To, say, monitor other people’s AWS bills, in order to optimize their own offerings? How likely is it that such a project was approved with no gain except adding perceived value to the Gmail product? I have a hard time believing they would do it only for that.
Why? Adding perceived values is how you get more users. More users == increased revenue.
I think the important question is: if Google were doing something nefarious like that, why on earth would they tie it to a public feature instead of just keeping it totally secret?
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On the other hand, what Apple does with your photos that you allow to be exfiltrated through iCloud... that's your own stupid fault.
The usual methods for achieving this are government regulation and oversight (free of capture), and independent third-party audits (likewise).
The good news is that there seems to be ... some, slight ... progress in this direction.
did you even read the article you linked
That's....not how that works...
> doesn't mean I want Google getting a free pass to mine and sell my data.
AFAIK, they don't do that with gmail. Do you have any evidence to the contrary?
We need to hold Google's feet to fire on privacy, but it is also important that we do not exaggerate or distort the facts.