1. Yes it's true Google's email is no more of a privacy threat then say Hotmail's, but that's not to say its not an issue. Google just makes the existing problem more obvious. The only thing protecting the privacy of your email on these services is their privacy policy and the security of their infrastructure. The Ad Words just makes that fact way more visible, particularly on the issue of datamining. Are Yahoo and Hotmail datamining the contents of your email? Google pretty clearly is planning too... Its the cost of getting a gigabyte "free" of course, and I'm sure a lot of people will be happy to "pay". But that doesn't make it any less of a story.

Posted at 5:41AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Abe

2. [Per Jason's request, reposting a comment I wrote to a mailing list]



> ...Google records the numerical Internet addresses of the computers that
/>
> request each of the Web searches the company performs. But it hasn't had
/>
> names or other identifying information to link those addresses to specific<
br />
> people and learn who, for example, is searching for "Janet Jackson hal
ftime

> show."

Not on a mass scale, no. But ... Orkut.

http://www.orkut.com/privacy.html>
Orkut's privacy policy

"We may share both personally identifiable information about you and
aggregate usage information that we collect with Google Inc. and
agents of orkut in accordance to the terms and conditions of this
Privacy Policy."

Google will now have the equivalent of a "mail cover"
(tracking who is sending email to whom - and about what!), plus
"friends" social data, plus web searching data ...

And they're going to scan all your mail for keywords, in order
to better fight terrorism, I mean, serve ads ...

Forget about "Total Information Awareness". It would be
cheaper for the Federal government to just buy into Google.

Posted at 5:41AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Seth Finkelstein

3. Great idea, Seth, and the profits could save social security.

Posted at 5:41AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Richard Bennett

4. I am a Gmail user and to sign up all they needed was a name & email address. Hotmail and Yahoo require your city, state, birthday, and just about everything short of your SSN.

All these claims about a computer "reading" or "scanning" your email are ridiculous becuase it doesn't save any of the info or give it out. And it works in a very similar fashion as SPAM protection. So when you receive email with Yahoo! or Hotmail, they scan the content to make sure it isn't SPAM -- but they just dont target ads to it. Instead they probably target your ads based on the city, state, age, sex, & other personal info that you submit when you sign up.

Lastly, email isn't a very secure way to send data anyway. If you are using Yahoo! or Hotmail and you are doing something illegal, your email sits on their server and they hand it over to the FBI. Corporate email is the same way -- so if you're fraudulent or are a scammer, you pobably shouldn't use email.

Posted at 5:41AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Leon

5. Can you make help me a Gmail free about 1 Gigabytes, thank:
ndphuoc@gmail.com

Posted at 5:41AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Nguyen Dinh Phuoc

6. how to sign gmail?

Posted at 5:41AM on Dec 19th 2005 by hcy

7. Hey guys do any of you know how to get gmail i dont know how to

Posted at 5:41AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Jd

8. Goodle on you Google gang. best APRIL FOOL I have had in a long time
WELL DONE

Posted at 5:41AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Ferd Haskar

9. Request anybody to refer me to get for me a GMail Account.

Thanx & Regards
Sachin Saurabh Saxena

Posted at 5:41AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Sachin Saurabh Saxena

10. I want to have a free Gmail address ?

Posted at 5:41AM on Dec 19th 2005 by masoud rashidi

11. i want a gmail!

Posted at 5:41AM on Dec 19th 2005 by huyaxun

12. I want a gmail account immediately! Am a google fan and hence can't wait longer to get gmail account! Kindly do help.

Posted at 5:41AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Vivekanandam

13. I am want a gmail tanks

Posted at 5:41AM on Dec 19th 2005 by ronak

14. hey i been to the gmail site but it just says sign in and forgot ur password it doesnt say register how can i get gmail i realy need it so if anyone knows please write and let me know

Posted at 5:41AM on Dec 19th 2005 by mel

15. I Want a gmail account

Posted at 5:41AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Amir

16. https://www.google.com/accounts/newaccount but it wont let me sign in (at least i got my account)

Posted at 5:41AM on Dec 19th 2005 by JOhn

17. When can we get a Gmail account. I want GMail. Those that are interested in Gmail send your email address to Google on http://gmail.google.com/gmail/help/about.html and go to the bottom to enter your address.

Posted at 5:41AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Go Gmail

18. I would like to use Gmail

Posted at 5:41AM on Dec 19th 2005 by karwan

19. Hi i had just recently heard about g-mail and im interested in signing up . bt i went to the email thing and it said type in password and user name well what sight are you suppose to sign up at? could you tell me more about this please. thanx .

Posted at 5:41AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Christina

20. HHI,
HOW CAN I GET FREE GMAIL ACCOUNT?

Posted at 5:41AM on Dec 19th 2005 by reza_g